To Kill An Avenger
by k92littlered
Summary: What happens when you kill an Avenger? Killing Sasuke, Ami soon found out. Persecution. Fleeing from her home, her 'enemies' soon became her allies. In the Akatsuki, she will try to forget her past, but then, Deidara begins to make her feel again.
1. The Escape

**This story was began after I began to get aggravated at my other (and first) story. I have decided to rewrite some things and edit some chapters, so if you notice some discrepancies, it's most likely due to the fact that I haven't finished editing. I will edit each chapter one at a time. I hope it doesn't bother you too much and I hope you like the changes.**

**READER'S OPINIONS NEEDED!!!!!**

**Do you like _'yeah', 'un', or 'hm' better for Deidara's speech habit? I'm debating changing it, but I need your opinion._**

**Beginning of First Chapter**

There were at least thirty men behind. Ami was strong, but if she took on that many at once, she would surely be captured. She formed a seal._Shadow clone jutsu! _She sent the summoned shadow clones off in all directions. The amount of chakra behind her lessened. Only about twenty men now. Still not enough to escape without injury though. She sent back another shadow clone to kill a few. She kept running. After a moment the knowledge of the clone came back. It had only killed about six. Damn. Her chakra was running low. She had used most of it to kill that Uchiha bastard, Sasuke. He deserved it. For what he did to her he definitely deserved it.

"Damn it!" The men were getting closer. She pushed chakra into her feet. "Got to run faster!"

There was a town up ahead. If she could reach it and mask her chakra, she might be able to escape in the crowds of people.

She could see the light through the trees. "I'm going to make it!" She slowed down to save her chakra. She had almost made it to the clearing when a kunai hit her shoulder. Shit, they caught up. She slid to a stop, pulled out the kunai and took a defensive stance. She was immediately surrounded by ten ANBU. She was sure there were more but there wasn't any time to worry about them now.

She summoned two shadow clones and stood with their backs facing each other. Each pulled out a kunai. Then the ANBU spoke.

"Calm down. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You are one of our village. If possible, we want to take you back unharmed."

"I'm not going to let you take me back!" All of her words were growled.

"Fine." The ANBU then nodded. They all charged. She forced her chakra into her specially made kunai. A spear of chakra formed at the ends. Due to her kekkei genkai she could solidify her chakra. She slashed away at the ANBU until none of them remained. Then, she collapsed of chakra depletion and her clones vanished. The ones used for decoys earlier had killed the ANBU following them. That was good at least. She looked herself over. While fighting those stupid ANBU she had obtained a large gash on her leg. She only had a little chakra left, but she couldn't travel with a busted leg. She sighed and began to heal her leg wound. This lack of chakra was making her dizzy. Finally she finished. She pulled herself over to a tree and leaned against it.

Even though there were a few ANBU left she was too tired to deal with them anyway. They would probably head back to the village anyway. Pure exhaustion crept over her body. She laid her head down against the tree. Her headband slipped off, loosened by her short battle. She looked at it. The leaf symbol stood proudly an it. She pulled out her kunai and slashed it. She then tied it back around her head. She tried to stand but the exhaustion caught up with her and she blacked out.

Akatsuki pov.

"Hey danna. Did you see that girl. She fought off all those Konoha shinobi. Yeah..."

"Yes I saw."

"She's kinda interesting... powerful..."

"Lets watch her for a while and see what she's made of. She might become useful."

"She's kinda hot yeah..."

"Gaki. Lets go." _(a/n gaki means brat.)_

Ami pov.

When Ami opened her eyes it was dark. She must have been out for at least a few hours. She carefully stood up. Luckily, her body recovered quickly, so a large amount of her chakra was back. She scanned the area. No sign of any Konoha shinobi. She finished her journey into the nearby town.

There were people everywhere. Some stared at her, but most ignored her. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. She bought some food. Hopefully it would last until she reached the next town.

She exited at dawn. She needed to get going if she wanted to get out of fire country. She ran until the sun set. Thankfully, there was a lake nearby. The perfect place to rest. She had bought a blanket and other supplies while in town. She set a small fire and ate. Not much. She wanted to ration herself.

She sighed out loud. "_It's all that Uchiha's fault. That stupid little..."_ She pushed him out of her mind. She didn't want to think about THAT now. Slowly she fell asleep.

She was woken up by a chakra presence nearby. Immediately awake she pulled a kunai out of her bag. Before her stood eight ANBU. One knocked the kunai from her hand while another punched her in the stomach. The wind knocked from her she fell to the ground. She cursed herself for letting her guard down.

Akatsuki pov.

"Let's see how she gets out of this one yeah..."

"For once I agree."

The two Akatsuki watched her as the ANBU attacked her. What she did surprised them. She took her chakra and formed it into a spear. Holding it in her hand, she began to slaughter her attackers. It was difficult being outnumbered, but she managed to bring them down.

"That was pretty amazing. yeah..." There was no response from his partner, so he continued. "Are we going to take her to leader-sama?"

"Yes. We'll contact him, ask him about it and if he agrees we'll bring her. I'm sure that strange ability of hers will interest him."

Ami pov.

She finished killing them. Had it been one-on-one, it would have been an easier kill, but since it wasn't, she had been forced to put effort into the fight. Sadly, she was now covered in blood. She undressed and jumped in the lake. It was really cold. She used a fire jutsu to heat up the water surrounding her slightly. She didn't do it too much however. She didn't want to hurt anything that lived there.

She was actually starting to enjoy herself when she sensed two people nearby. What's worse was that they were both high level shinobi. Slowly she waded to the shore and grabbed a kunai. Still half submerged, she threw it toward the hidden figures. She was sure that it wouldn't be effective, but at least it would force them to stop hiding. _'I hope.'_

Immediately the figures jumped out of the bushes. Their faces were both hid by straw hats, that contained cloth hanging down. They looked like they were both male though. One was hunched over and they were both wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. It seemed familiar. She immediately dove to the deeper section to hide her naked body. Though, as a kunoichi, she knew it shouldn't matter, she did it anyway. The taller one noticed this and laughed. She was sure that had she been anyone else, she would have been intimidated by the powerful shinobi, but the laugh only succeeded in pissing her off.

"What's so funny?" Ami growled at him. She formed a spear out of chakra and hurlded it at the pair. They doged it with ease, causing her to glare at them before speaking again. "What the hell do you want?"

"Well.. we want you yeah..."

Her eyes narrowed angrily. "What the hell for? If you think I'm going back to Konoha you got another thing coming."

"A missing nin? Perfect."

The tall one removed his hat. He was blond with feminine features. The hair on one side of his face covered his eye, reminding her of the irritating blond kunoichi from the leaf. She almost found it cute on the male. _Almost._

"We want you to come with us to the Akatsuki."

Akatsuki. That's why they were so familiar. They were part of the group that tried to kidnap that Naruto kid from the village. A while back, Ami had looked through files in other countries about rogue shinobi as a part of special training. After doing research she had learned about the members. It was surprising how some of the areas she travelled, knew even more than Konoha about their enemies. This looked to be Sasori of the red sands from Sunagakure and Deidara from Iwagakure. She remembered seeing a file on them when she had been allowed into a small village near Amegakure. Why it was there, she had no idea, but to her disappointment, the information was classified, and to tell it to anyone else would have caused severe conflict. At the time, she thought it wouldn't matter, believing that the shinobi in the files were deceased, but now, she realized that they were indeed alive. She just wished she had studied more of the files.

She pondered their words for a moment. Despite being criminals, she was sure that they were being truthful. Thinking about it, she knew that it was pointless to decline. "Akatsuki, huh? I'm on the run from my village, killed allied ninja, am more than likely going to kill more. Join the Akatsuki? Why the hell not?" Her voice was bitter, and she diverted her eyes from them. The fact that she had to leave her village in the first place wasn't something she really enjoyed talking about.

"Then its settled." Sasori spoke. They stood waiting, causing her eyes to return to them with mild irritation, already having pushed her prior thoughts from her mind.

"Can you at least turn around?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm not dressed you ass." She threw a a shard-like piece of chakra at them. They dodged, but after a moment, listened and turned aroud. Ami ran out of the water and, as quickly as possible, got dressed. As she did so she could hear them whispering.

"Told you she was hot danna, yeah..." The blond said, his tone telling her there was a smirk on his face without her even needing to see it.

"Is it possible for you to _act_ mature."

Ami's anger sparked at Deidara's sentence. She appeared behind him in an instant and knocked him on the head. It wasn't anywhere near hard enough to cause damage, but definitely hard enough to show her displeasure. He fell to the ground.

"What the hell was that for!?" He looked at her, partially with a glare, but partially with a look of innocence. He managed to jump to his feet, glaring at her.

"For being perverted!"

"It was a compliment! I said you were hot! I didn't know that you would throw a damned fit!"

She would have hit him again but Sasori intervened. "Enough!"

She looked away, trying not to glare at them. When Sasori looked away as well, she made to hit Deidara again, a smirk on her face. This time though, she was only joking. He apparently didn't realize this as he raised his hands up in self defense. When he did, she was able to see mouths on his hands. She let out a small laugh.

His kekkei genkai looked amusing, but she wasn't about to say that out loud. After all, she didn't want to anger her possible new allies. They began to walk, and she followed, leaving her old life behind to begin a new one.

**End of First Chapter.**

(a/n I suck at creating jutsu.)

I guess that's it for now.

**Deidara**- Why did you make me such a pervert yeah...

**Me- **I dunno. Cuz I felt like it.

**Dei-** bitch...

**Me- Shut the hell up!! Otherwise I'll have Ami murder your ass. Got it?**

**Dei-**...

**me-** Good. Reviews make me happy. Bye Bye!


	2. Long journey and a plant

Hey. I'm updating sooner than expected but l highly doubt that you guys are going to complain. I actually highly doubt anyone will comment at all due to the fact that no one reads my stories except for like two people. I'm still not sure who I'm pairing Ami with. Maybe Kisame...

**Dei-**You would choose that fish stick over me. yeah!!

**me**- I SAID MAYBE YOU TRANSVESTITE!!

**Dei-** What the hell did you just call me??

**me-** You heard me now shut the hell up!!

**Dei-** Whatever. yeah...

**me-**Whatever... I don't own Naruto.

**Begin Chapter**

She walked behind Deidara and Sasori. _God they were slow!_ Why the hell couldn't they walk faster. If she had known it would have taken this long she would have never agreed to come. She had never been a patient person and this aggravatingly slow pace wasn't helping.

"Will you two please hurry the hell up! If we don't get there soon I swear I am going to die of old age. Either that or I'm going to take out my frustration on YOU! I agreed to come. NOT to waste my time walking at a pace that even a freakin' snail could beat." She glared at the two angrily. She expected them to be irritated with her outburst. What she didn't expect was for Deidara to fall over clutching his stomach in laughter.

She stared at him incredulously. "What the hell is so funny?"

He was still laughing as he replied."You're just as impatient as Sasori-danna."

She rolled her eyes. "I care why? Just hurry the hell up." At this Sasori chuckled. She looked at him curiously. _What the hell was so funny?_

"He's right. You sound like me." He told her, answering her unasked question.

"Whatever. Can we please just hurry up." He watched her for a moment before nodding.

"Fine." After that incident they sped up the pace considerably.

After a while it started to get dark. "Can we stop for the night?" She asked them. She was tired from killing all of those ANBU. Deidara nodded, and they stopped at the next clearing. She made a small fire and cooked some vegetables she had purchased in town. Nobody said anything. That is, nobody said anything until the strange visitor arrived.

It had taken Ami a while to relax. She was in the presence of two S-ranked criminals for Kami's sake. But after thinking over it again, she realized she was on her way to becoming one herself, so in reality, this really didn't matter. This was both amusing and scary. She had loved her village. Until she was betrayed of course. Stupid Uchiha. As she sat there something green suddenly came out of the ground. It looked like a giant plant with jaws. Her eyes widened.

"What the fuck is that!?" She threw kunai in the direction of it, but it dodged. At this point, she noticed it was wearing an Akatsuki cloak. She immediately stopped, but stayed in a fighting stance. Deidara glanced at the thing for a moment before looking away, an uninterested look on his face.

"Hey Zetsu-san."

She looked at Deidara for a moment before slowly repeating him. "Zetsu? San?" She walked up to the 'man' known as Zetsu. He looked like he had a giant venus fly trap on he head. The right side of his face was black. The left, was white. _(His right and left not Ami's)_ He had gold yellowish eyes and green hair. All in all, now that she knew that he wasn't there to ambush them, she couldn't help but like the strange look. It was amusing.

"Sorry about attacking you like that. You just surprised me. I'm Ami."

_"This is the new girl?" **"Obviously. Although she doesn't look like much."** "Do you think she will be accepted."** "If not maybe we can eat her."**_

She glared at, 'them?' "Hello? SHE is standing right here." Although he looked at her, he ignored her otherwise until she finally got pissed at him. She knew she was letting her anger get the better of herself, but she didn't care at that point. Having just been forced to leave her own village had left her slightly unstable.

"Stupid asshole." She formed a dagger-like blade of chakra and stabbed him on the left shoulder, letting go a moment later. She knew she didn't hit anything important. As soon as she released it, the chakra disappeared. Zetsu looked at the wound, while Deidara on the other hand, was looking at her in shock. "I don't care who you are, you listen when a woman talks."

She focused her chakra into her hand before placing it up against the wound. He healed slowly. As much as she wanted to leave the wound there, she highly doubted the leader of the Akatsuki would appreciate it if she injured the members. Zetsu didn't do anything but look at her with a curious expression on his face.

_"Impressive Kekkei Genkai." **"I'm sure it will come into use." **"At least of use to us." **"It seems rather rare."**_

Her anger slowly faded at the complement. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing for me, but you are correct. From what I know, it's extremely rare."

_**"Hmmm.. You seem interesting." **"I think Leader-sama will be pleased." _He turned to Deidara and Sasori. _"**You two, make sure she gets to the Akatsuki in one piece." **"Apparently she's also a healer. A bonus to her kekkei genkai." **"I'm returning to the base. My orders to examine the girl have been completed." **_The plant man disappeared into the ground.

Ami turned to Deidara, her anger gone, but replaced with amusement at Zetsu's strange excuse for a body. "That dude is really cool."

Deidara just stared at her.

"I'm serious." She said, trying not to laugh.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. yeah..."

She walked over to her bag and pulled out her blanket. "I'm going to bed." She looked at him, pausing for a moment before repeating his speech habit. "Yeah..." Then, laughing at his irritated expression, layed down on the ground and fell asleep. The next day they would finally arrive at the Akatsuki, where her fate would be decided.

**End of Chapter Two**

Ok peeps. That's it for this one.

**Dei-** That was short. yeah...

**me-** You'll get over it. Plus I still have no idea what I'm doing for this story.

**Dei-** What's so hard. A bit of fluff a couple of lemons and there you have it. yeah...

**me-**O.o. WTF YOU PERVERTED BASTERD THIS ISN'T SOME SORT OF CRAPPY ADULT STORY!! THERE HAS TO BE MEANING!! I swear you don't stop bugging me I'm pairing Ami with Sasori.

**Dei-**...

**me-**Good. Reviews make me happy. yeah... Wtf. I've been talking to deidara for too long. yeah..

**Dei-** Stop copying me. yeah...

**me-**I don't wanna. It's fun. yeah...

**Dei-** (trying not to strangle the author)

**me-** If anyone is actually reading I hope to see you next time. BYES!!


	3. Akatsuki and Confessions

Hey peoples. Its time for a new chapter. Yay!! I would like to thank Aster Uchiha and one other person for giving me reviews. The other person was an anonymous review but still a review. I would also like to say that you're idea sounds interesting but I'm not sure if I have the time to do it. I'm also still not entirely sure where the story is going but you're reviews help.

**Dei-** What do you mean you're not sure where it's going. Just make her fall in love with me. yeah...

**Ami-** _Her_ is standing right here if you don't mind.

**Dei-** And? I don't get enough love. Seriously. yeah..

**K-**What the hell are you talking about? I've seen plenty of fanfiction about you.

**Dei-**Yeah. All about me and Sasori.

**K-** They are not. At least not all of them.

**Dei-** Whatever. yeah...

**K- **(eye roll) Idiot. I sadly don't own Naruto. If I did, Deidara and Itachi wouldn't have died and Sasuke would have been killed.

**Dei-** O.o I die?

**K- **Ok on with the story!!

**Begin chapter Three!**

According to Sasori, they were almost to the hideout. '_Finally.'_ She wasn't sure exactly where they were, but she guessed that they were no longer in the Land of Fire.

Eventually they arrived at a large boulder. Deidara made a few hand signs and it slid aside, revealing a doorway.

"We're here, so try to stay close. Not all of the members know of your arrival, so to them, you are just an intruder."

She nodded and followed them inside. It was rather nice looking despite it being built from a cave. It had been changed to look like the interior of a home. She smiled, amused by the homely look.

Deidara noticed her expression. "Just because we're criminals doesn't mean that we don't like to live comfortably." She nodded and continued to follow them. Eventually they arrived at a door.

"This is Leader-sama. He will decide whether you stay or not. Zetsu-san already told him about you. Let's just hope that Zetsu liked you and said nice things. yeah.."

"I stabbed the dude."

"He seemed to find that amusing. Not to mention it showed us that you were a healer. That's something useful."

She gave him a confused look. "Why in the world would he find that amusing?"

"He kinda weird like that. yeah.."

She just raised her eyebrows. "Whatever. I'm going in." She raised her hand to knock, but before her hand touched the door, it opened. _'Doors opening on their own. Lovely.'_ She walked inside and shut the door behind her.

It was pretty much bare. There was a table in the center of the room with a lamp on it. Sitting behind it was a man with orange hair. His face was covered with piercings. Behind him stood a blue haired woman.

Ami bowed respectfully. "I am Ami. Nice to meet you."

There was a short pause, then the man spoke. "Pein. But you will address me as Leader-sama. My men seem to find that you have an interesting ability."

"My kekkei genkai. I can make very powerful weapons out of chakra. I am also a healer, trained in the leaf by Tsunade-sama herself."

He nodded, acknowledging that he was listening. "And what possessed you to leave your village?"

Her face hardened. "I'm sorry, Leader-sama but I would prefer not to answer that. I would prefer to just say it was a personal issue and leave it at that."

"I would actually prefer to know. How do I know you aren't a spy."

She actually laughed, despite the fact that she was talking to the leader of the Akatsuki. Although, the laugh was a bitter one. "Yeah right! Those jerks aren't ever going to get my help again. Not after what happened. But I will tell you this, someone caused me pain and I killed them. Simple as that, but apparently, to the people of Konoha, the fact that I was hurt doesn't even matter." She frowned, stopping as her voice had gotten slightly louder. She forced herself to calm. "It makes no difference now. The got what he deserved, and I gave it to him."

"May I ask who this person is?"

She sighed, not wanting to talk anymore about it, but she knew that she probably couldn't afford to hold back information at that point. "If you must. The person I killed was Sasuke Uchiha."

Pein eyebrows raised. "What did he do to encourage his murder?"

Ami glared at him, despite the fact that it was at her possible leader. "I already told you, I don't want to get into it."

He nodded but said nothing. After a moment the woman standing behind him leaned down and whispered something inaudible into his ear. He nodded again, before setting his eyes back on Ami. "For now I will let you join. Konan will take you to your room."

She was momentarily stunned, but she nodded. "Thank you, Leader-sama." She bowed to them before turning away. She opened the door, exiting the office. Outside waiting for her was Deidara; Sasori had already left.

"So what happened? yeah.."

She smiled at him, putting the conversation with Pein out of her mind. "I'm a member of the Akatsuki."

He grinned. "Awsome!"

She rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm, but continued to smile. "I'm going to my room now. Maybe later I can meet the others."

"That would be nice. See you later then. yeah..."

She said goodbye and followed Konan down the hall. She passed a few men in Akatsuki cloaks but none were in the records she had examined so she didn't know who the were. After walking for a minute a man in an orange swirly mask came running down the hall.

"Hey what's your name?!"

"Ami."

"Hello Ami-chan!! I'm Tobi. Tobi is a good boy!!"

"Um, hi Tobi." His extremely hyper attitude was odd. What was a guy like him doing in the Akatsuki?

"Nice meeting you Ami-chan! I'll see you later ok?" He took off down the hall.

Ami looked at Konan questioningly, but she didn't say anything.

Finally, Konan stopped at a door and opened it. Inside was a bed, a dresser, and a closet. There was also a private bathroom. She was grateful for that, glad that she wouldn't have to share a bathroom with the other members, who, from what she could tell, were mostly male.

"This is where you will be staying. My room is two doors down so if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. I am the only other female here and I highly doubt that you want to be with males all of the time." She handed her a cloak.

Ami smiled slightly, finding that the Akatsuki was indeed composed of mostly men. "Thanks Konan-sama." She put the cloak on over her clothes. It was bulky but she would get used to it. Konan spared her a small smile and began to leave when Ami stopped her. "Um, do you know where Deidara is? He's supposed to introduce me to the others."

"Of course. Try to remember your way around. It will make things easier for you." She exited the room with Ami following. After leading her to another door, she left, probably off to do something else for Pein. Ami knocked on the door slowly.

"Deidara-san?" She called softly. There was no response. After a minute, she tried the handle, finding that it was open. She slowly opened the door.

Deidara was snoring quietly on the bed. She walked over and poked him on the forehead. "Wake up you. You're supposed to introduce me to the others."

He opened his eyes and sat up. "This is kinda cool yeah..."

Ami gave him a curious look.

He laughed. "There's a hot chick in my room. yeah..."

"Ass." She punched him on the shoulder. "Why the heck were you sleeping anyway? It's the middle of the day. You're a shinobi. No time to be lazy."

He yawned. "Sasori-danna and I had just finished a mission when we found you. After missions it's best to rest up. yeah..."

"Why do you say yeah after your sentences?"

"Habit. yeah..."

"I see. So... Are you going to show me around?"

"I don't see why not. yeah..." He pulled the sheet off and stood up. He was still dressed in regular clothing. He put on his Akatsuki cloak. "Let's go. When the members aren't on missions they are usually in our makeshift living room. We'll see who's there. yeah..."

"Alright. Sure."

He led her down a different hallway and into a large room full of couches. Along a wall, there was a decent sized television. There were a few men in Akatsuki cloaks sitting around the room. A blue skinned man who she was sure was Kisame Hoshigaki looked over.

"Whose the hot chick?"

Annoyed, she flicked a marble sized ball of chakra at his head. He moved his head to the side, and it bounced off the wall harmlessly. "I'm the new member, Ami. I decided I should see who my allies are. Nice to meet you. Kisame-san I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, you guessed right. Nice meeting you too. One of our teams is currently on a mission. They'll be back soon."

"I see." As she spoke, a redhead walked into the room.

"Hey Danna. Just introducing Ami to the members."

"Nice to see you again Sasori-san."

Sasori nodded at her in acknowledgement and took a seat. He was rather quiet.

She was about to sit when a man with black hair and red eyes passed.

"Uchiha!" Acting on reflex she slammed him into a wall. She realized her mistake a split second later. The Uchiha she knew was dead, meaning, she just slammed someone else into a wall. She knew there was only one person it could be. Itachi Uchiha. She immediately let go only moments later to find herself pinned against the wall instead with a kunai to her throat.

"Why did you attack?" He asked in a monotone voice. She looked down, not looking at his face for fear of looking into his eyes. He spoke again, his voice not changing. "Answer." She knew that she had no choice in the matter.

"Because I thought you were your brother, and he's supposed to be dead."

He released her not even a moment later. For a split second there was a look of sadness in his eyes, but it immediately disappeared. It was gone so quickly, that if she had blinked, she would have missed it. "Dead. How?"

She looked at him with a mix of anger and hurt, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Let's just say he deserved it and leave it at that shall we?" She looked over at Deidara. "Thanks for showing me around. I'm going back to my room now." She walked out, leaving all who had been sitting in the room confused about what had just happened.

After finding her way back to her own room, she took of the cloak and threw it to the floor. Then she allowed herself to fall on the bed before curling into a ball.

**Deidara's pov**

Deidara watched her leave. _'What the hell was all that about?'_He looked at Sasori.

"Do you think I should go check on her? Yeah.."

"Do whatever you want. I'm not going with you though."

Deidara glared at him. "I wasn't asking you to."

**Ami's pov**

Ami was still curled up on the bed when she heard a knock on the door.

"Ami-chan? Ami-chan are you in here?" It was Deidara.

She ignored him. Seeing that bastard's brother had put her in an anti-social mood. She didn't feel like talking to anyone at that particular moment. After a few moments she heard the door knob turn. She opened her eyes, looking over.

**Deidara**

He slowly opened the door and walked into the room. He didn't want to invade her privacy but was rather concerned. He was relieved to find her fully clothed on the bed rather than walk in on her while she was indecent. At any other time, he would have probably enjoyed something like that, but not now.

"Are you alright. When you left you seemed upset. yeah..."

"I'm fine. Now please leave."

'_How stubborn._'He thought. '_Well two can play it that way._'

**Ami**

She watched him walk over and lay on the bed. He crossed him arms. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."

She gave him an angry look. "Don't put your dirty shoes on my bed." She pushed him off and he crashed to the floor. He immediately got back on the bed but this time he sat there instead.

"You're changing the subject."

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know."

She looked at him and found that there was a look of concern on his face. '_Why?_' She sighed. "You really want to know?"

Deidara nodded, watching her.

"Fine then." She sat up before bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them. She had no idea why she was telling the blond anything, but she figured that it really didn't matter.

"Well you know how I had said that Itachi's brother was dead and had deserved it? Well, when I was in Konoha, he had returned from Orochimaru, apparently having killed him. Unlike the other girls I really didn't care. So what if he was cute? He was an ass for doing the things he did. He apparently found it interesting that I didn't fawn over him like the other kunoichi, and took a liking to me. We soon became friends, but then he betrayed me in a way that I could not forgive. You know the result. I ended him. When I saw Itachi-san earlier I had only glanced at him and well... He looks a lot like his younger brother..." She paused for a moment, not looking at him. "I thought I saw a dead guy so I freaked."

"You're leaving something out. yeah..."

"Nothing that needs to be talked about. I've told you the facts of the story; That's really enough."

"Will you ever talk about it?"

"I'll tell you eventually. But not right now, alright?"

He sighed but nodded, giving in. "Alright, I'll drop it for now."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks Deidara-san."

It was his turn to smile. "Just Deidara please. I'm not really your superior, and if you called me -kun it would just be strange. yeah..."

"Thanks Deidara. Could you tell Itachi-san that I'm sorry. I feel tired, so I think that I'm going to turn in for the night."

"Sure, yeah..." He grinned teasingly at her. "I kinda remember you saying something to me about sleeping during the day. Something about being a shinobi means no time to be lazy."

"It's 7:00 now."

"Whatever, yeah." He said, still smiling at her slightly.

She tried not to roll her eyes at him. "Good night... Deidara."

"Good night, Ami-chan." He looked at her for only a moment longer, before walking out of the room.

Slowly, she felt sleep sink in.

**End of Chapter Three**

Alright that took way too long for my liking. Usually I have the whole chapter planned before I write it but this one I didn't and it took forever. And if any of my reviewer actually guess what Sasuke did I'll tell them if they're right or not.

**Dei-** What did he do? yeah...

**K-** You'll find out when I have Ami tell you. yeah...

**Dei- **Stop copying me. yeah...

**K-** I don't want to. yeah... Anyway I can't wait for more reviews. I promise I'll update faster!!


	4. Training

I wanted to update before school began so here it is. I'm not sure whether I should tell you what happened to Ami-chan yet. I got two reviews for the last chapter. My anonymous review and Aster Uchiha. Big thankies to them. I also finally figured out what I'm doing with the plot. Yay for me!!

**Dei-** Just start with the story. yeah...

**K-** What the heck is wrong with you?

**Dei-** Nothing. Just kinda depressed. yeah...

**K-** Why? I finally decided that you would be the one I paired Ami with.

**Dei-** Whatever. yeah...

**K-**O.o? ok... I don't own Naruto. If I did Gaara would be in it much more. Just so you know I'm going to start putting in flashbacks. They will be in Italics.

**Begin Chapter Four Flashback**

_Ami walked down the streets of Konoha. She was on her way to go training. She had to prepare for the test to become a Jonin. She had promised Tsunade-sama that she would train hard for it. _

_As she walked, she passed a group of girls. They all seemed to be going on about something. Mildy curious, she looked closer to see a guy around her age. The girls' attention seem to all be focused on him. _

_Ami rolled her eyes. Other girls irritated her. __She continued on to the training field. Not knowing that she had gained the interest of a certain Uchiha._

**End Flashback**

Ami opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. After a moment, she remembered where she was.

She glanced at a small clock on the table by her bed. It was about 8:00. As much as she hated mornings she knew she has to get up. Sighing, she dragged herself out of bed. She got dressed swiftly and threw on the Akatsuki cloak. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her, showing absolutely nothing of how she actually felt.

"I've become a good actor..." She mumbled softly.

Suddenly her stomach growled. She smirked slightly and wondered if there was a kitchen anywhere on the base. She figured there would be since the members were attempting to make it look at least slightly like a home. Glad she had paid attention to where she was going yesterday, she headed to the living room to find Deidara. On the way, she passed a man with silver hair. It was slicked back. His eyes were a light purple in color and he looked to be young. Her guess was the lower twenties. He had a three bladed scythe on his back.

"Who the fuck are you?" He said looking at her cloak.

She was forced to bite her tongue from saying anything nasty in return. It also helped that he sounded like a cranky teenager, which made her want to laugh.

"The name's Ami. I'm a new member." She responded.

"Well that's fucking obvious. Ami huh?"

"Mhm. And you?"

"Hidan."

"Nice to meet you Hidan-san. Cool scythe by the way..."

Hidan smirked, obviously pleased at her compliment. "Yeah. I use it for sacrifices to Jashin-sama. "

"Jashin-sama?"

"My religion. I worship Jashin-sama. Part of that requires ritual sacrifice."

"I see..." She was going to inquire more, but her stomach cut her off by growling again. "Sorry, I haven't eaten yet."

"The kitchen is this way. I'll show you. Just don't eat too much or Kakuzu-san will complain you're waisting money."

"Kakuzu-san?"

"My partner. He's also in charge of the money. Fucking greedy pain in the ass..." He grumbled, sounding even more like a cranky teen.

Ami couldn't help but giggle slightly at his complaints. "Why do you work with him if you dislike him so much?"

"Leader-sama's orders. In the past, Kakuzu had a bad habit of killing all of his partners, so now I get to be his lucky partner. It works out because I can't die."

"You're immortal? That's awesome."

"Not always. Life can get boring... Anyway we're here." He stopped at a door. "I'll see you around. I need to go preform a ritual for Jashin-sama." He walked down the hallway and turned a corner, leaving her alone. She nearly laughed about how bitchy the man seemed. He was worse than a cranky woman.

She turned back to the room ahead of her. The kitchen, to her surprise, looked like a normal kitchen, despite the fact that there were no windows. She found some cereal bars in a cabinet and took one. She never was big on breakfast. The only reason she ate it was because having energy was important for a shinobi. That, and she knew her stomach wouldn't shut up until she did.

Bored, she walked to the living room. There was only one other person there. Of course, it had to be the one person that she was sure already disliked her. Itachi. He looked like he was getting ready to leave the room. Hesitantly, she walked over to him. "Itachi-san?"

His eyes turned on her, but he said nothing.

_"At least he acknowledged me.." _

"I... just wanted to say that I'm sorry." She paused for the shortest moment before continuing, not knowing how the man would react. "You looked upset yesterday. I almost missed it, but I know you were. I really didn't mean to attack you for no reason. It's just that... It's just that you and your brother look so much alike, I thought I was seeing a ghost..."

He looked at her with an expressionless face. "And why would you want to attack such a ghost?"

"What do you care? From what I heard, he hated you and vise versa."

"..."

"Anyway, like I said yesterday, he deserved it. I'm sorry if it actually bothers you that he died." She turned to leave. She said what she had wanted to, but knew if she kept going, her emotions would get the better of her. She stopped though when she heard him speak.

"Why did you kill him?"

Ami turned, setting her eyes on his. "He destroyed my life." Then, ignoring his glare, she left to find Deidara.

She knocked on his door, not knowing why she hadn't gone there first. "Come in, yeah.."

She slowly walked in. He was sitting on his bed reading. "Hey Deidara." He looked up.

"Hey beautiful. What's up? yeah.."

She ignored the fact that he had called her beautiful. "I just talked to Itachi-san. I was wondering if he's always so emotionless?"

"Pretty much, yeah..."

"By any chance do you want to train? I'm really bored."

Deidara grinned. "I would, but I don't think Leader-sama would appreciate it if I blew up the base."

Ami chuckled. "I guess not." She walked over and sat down on a chair by the bed. "I met Hidan-san earlier."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "That guy is a freak, yeah"

"Says a guy who has mouths on his hands."

"It's part of my kekki genkai, yeah. It's not like I have any control of it. That guy stabs himself in devotion to his so called religion."

"Well, he did say he was an immortal."

"Whatever, yeah. He's still a freak."

"Anyway, I still want to train. How about only taijustu?" She asked, hoping he would say yes.

"But I prefer using my art, yeah.."

"And? What, you afraid you're going to be beaten by a girl? Not that it matters. You already look like one." That did it.

"Okay, you wanna train? Fine. I'll kick your ass."

_"That was easy. Usually it take me a lot longer to piss people off." _Ami smirked. "I highly doubt that."

He got up and threw on his Akatsuki cloak. "Here in the base we have a training room. We'll be going there, yeah..."

"Well let's go then. So I can kick _your _ass." She giggled as his expression grew irritated.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The so-called training room was huge. It was almost as big as the fields back in Konoha and the ceiling had to be over 100 feet in the air.

"Wow, did the Akatsuki build this?"

"Not all of it. It was originally a cavern. We just added to it, yeah..."

"I see, so are you ready to fight? We will use genjustu, ninjustu and taijustsu. I won't use my kekki genkai since you can't use yours."

"Oh, I'll be using mine alright. I just can't blow it up. It's inartistic but still you can use yours if you want, yeah..."

"Alright then." Forming a ball of chakra she threw it at him. He dodged with ease. He formed a clay bird and enlarged it. Then jumping on it he flew up around the ceiling.

Ami frowned slightly. "I seem to be at a disadvantage.."

Deidara smirked. "It would seem so. yeah..."

Ami formed a circle of chakra at her feet and rose up to meet him. Then she smiled. "That's a bit better. Don't you think?" He looked at her with a shocked expression to which she tried not to laugh. "What?"

"You just ruined my whole strategy, yeah..." He frowned. "Now I'm going to have to think of something else."

She gave him a mockingly concerned look. "Don't forget Deidara, you need a brain to actually think." She said before giggling. Then, she found herself surrounded by birds._ Clay birds._ "I thought you said that you weren't going to use them."

"I've changed my mind, yeah.. Katsu!" The bombs went off. He knew they wouldn't kill her. Injure her yes, but not kill her. They were his weakest bombs after all. He watched as the smoke cleared. For some reason he didn't see her fall. Finally when it cleared he saw the reason why. She was surrounded be a chakra bubble. She dropped it and pouted again.

"Kinda rude you know..." Then forming three spears of chakra, she threw one at the bird and two at him. He jumped to avoid them and the spear blew up the bird. She returned to the ground before frowning. Her chakra bubble took up a decent amount of chakra. She still had plenty more but the bomb was difficult to stop. She rubbed her arm slightly. She had sustained a minor burn before she has managed to get the shield up. Annoyed, she turned and faced Deidara. Manipulating her chakra she surrounded him with it. Then, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I guess that means I win huh?"

Surprisingly he just grinned. She looked at him confused. Then she noticed the bird beside her.

"Katsu!" As quickly as she could she dodged, but was still hit. She felt the heat from the blast burn her arm. Quickly she surrounded herself with chakra again to prevent further injury. As soon as it was gone she released the shield, only to find a kunai to her throat. She was going to knock it away but found that there was a clay spider on her shoulder.

"Alright then. I guess you win. For now..." She was about make fun of him for changing his decision to not use clay, when she heard someone clapping slowly. Slowly, Pein along with a man wearing a mask covering most of his face stepped out of the shadows. Ami waved to them. "Hello Leader-sama. What brings you here?"

"I came to introduce you to Kakuzu, but I decided to stay and watch the show." He glanced at the burns on her arm. "You better take care of that. I want to send you, Deidara, and Sasori on a mission. Until further notice you will be paired with them. I want you three to come see me later." Then he walked out of the room. Kakuzu, who was apparently uninterested left as well. Sitting down, she immediately began to heal the burn.

"Ugh. I hate healing burns. It's one of the hardest things to heal."

"Whatever yeah..." He sat down next to her and grinned. "I guess I won."

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "You got lucky."

"Nah. I'm just that good, yeah."

She finished healing the wound before pouting. She stuck her tongue out him again before standing and leaving him sitting on the floor. She returned to her room.

Following her example he did the same. The whole time thinking about how cute she looked when she pouted.

* * *

Ok people I think I'm going to end it here.

**Dei-** Whatever. yeah...

**K-** Seriously. What the hell is wrong with you?

**Dei-** You said i was going to die. yeah...

**K-** (smacks forehead) You killed yourself to kill your enemy and went out with a bang.

**Dei-** Really?

**K-** Really.

**Dei-** Awesome! yeah...

**K-** Well now that you feel better. PLEASE REVIEW!! I promise to update faster!!


	5. Curiosity

Sorry for the wait. I didn't have any time to update due to school. -.- Not to mention I'm sick right now and can't breathe through my nose. I'm really sorry...

**Dei-** Well you're updating now right?

**K-**Yeah I guess... (cough) grrrr... Damn cold...

**Dei-**Man that sucks... Anyway, Katie-chan would like to thank Twi Tsi, formerly known as Bakugangirl and the usual anonymous reviewer. yeah...

**K-** (sneezes then goes into a coughing fit)

**Dei-** O.o

**K-** (sniffles) ...

**Begin Flashback of Chapter Five**

_She threw kunai and chakra at the practice dummy, alternating between the two. For the most part she always trained alone. It wasn't that she was anti-social or people didn't like her, she just preferred to train by herself. Only on occasion would she train with others. __That's why she found it strange when she felt someone approaching. _

_At first she ignored it, assuming that the person was passing by. When they didn't leave she became curious. Who would want to watch her? She stopped and turned toward the person. It was the guy from earlier. __The one the girls had been staring at. He was quietly leaning against a tree. She rolled her eyes and went back to ignoring him. The pretty boy wasn't worth it. She formed a shadow clone and began to fight it. He didn't move. He just stood and watched her. It was only when a kunai ricocheted and nearly hit him that he moved. Or dodged would be more accurate. He jumped up smoothly and landed in the tree. He glared at her. She rolled her eyes again._

_"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been standing there."_

_"Hmph" His glare faded,replaced by a completely neutral face. He jumped from the tree and landed softly on his feet. An obvious shinobi. She gave him a bored look._

_"Sooo.. Is there anything you wanted Pretty Boy?"_

_"Hmph." A slightly amused look crossed his face while an irritated look crossed hers. _

_"Are you going to say anything or just stand here wasting my time?"_

_"Hmph."_

_"I guess that's a no to the saying anything..."_

_"Hmph." _

_Her eye twitched. This guy ticked her off. She turned away before she hit him. "I'm busy training, so unless you have something to say don't bother me." The irritation was evident in her voice as she began walking away._

_"Training huh?"_

_She stopped, turned and smirked. "I'm in shock. You actually know how to speak."_

_"Amazing isn't it? What are you training for?"_

_"To become a jonin."_

_He smirked. "Jonin level?"_

_"Yeah, jonin, and unless you want to be my practice dummy I suggest you get out of my way." She was only teasing him but he glared at her. She rolled her eyes. "Wow, Mr. Serious here can't take a joke. But, in any case, if you aren't planning on leaving then you might as well help me train." _

_"If you would like." His eyes turned red. He had the sharingan. _

_"Ah. If it isn't the infamous Uchiha. I had heard you were back. I'm surprised I didn't recognize you."_

_He frowned. "I thought we were going to train, not get acquainted."_

_"Alright then." She threw a chakra spear at him and retreated into a nearby tree. She had to plan her moves carefully and quick. With an Uchiha, she had no time to waste. If she used her kekkei genkai, he wouldn't be able to copy it but then she would be giving away her power at the beginning and leave no surprises. She studied him. He hadn't moved and was standing with his arms crossed. She jumped at him and threw a kunai. As expected, he easily dodged. She threw another, and another, and another, each time he dodged them. Finally her plan was set. She stopped and stood facing him. Then began to run in circles around him. She was pretty fast. About the speed Lee would be before he took off his leg weights. Sasuke, who obviously hadn't figured out her strategy just stood and watched her. After circling him about eight times, she stopped. Then smiling she pulled at the invisible chakra ropes, tying him up. He grinned. _

_"Not bad." Then, he pulled at the ropes obviously trying to break them. She saw the surprise on his face when he couldn't. She smirked. __His face held irritation but also slight amusement. "Alright. I surrender." _

_A confused look crossed her face but she released him. She had expected him to find a way to break free. Why would he have given up when he could still fight? "That was pretty much pointless. Why did you agree to help me train if you weren't going to try?"_

_"Oh I was just curious..."_

_"Curious about what?" _

_"I was just curious as to how you fought." Then, with her now having a puzzled expression, he left the training field._

**End Chapter Five Flashback**

An hour had passed since her little spar with Deidara and it was almost 11:00. She was lying peacefully on her bed when she heard a knock on the door. "Yeah?"

Tobi, who apparently took her response as an invitation, crashed into the room. "Hey Ami-chan!!"

She stared at him. "Tobi? How much sugar do you eat daily?" She asked wondering how anyone could be this hyper.

"Tobi doesn't eat any sugar. Deidara-senpai won't let Tobi. Deidara-senpai is mean!" Her eyes widened. No sugar? She feared the the thought of seeing him if he actually ate anything sugary.

"Um... yeah... Tobi? Why are you in my room anyway?" He stood looking confused for a moment. "Tell me you forgot..."

"Oh yeah!! Leader-Sama wants you to go to his office!" She sighed and stood up. Then she grabbed her cloak and threw it on.

"Okay. Thanks Tobi."

"No problem Ami-chan!" Then, with out her permission, he tackled her in a hug before running off. She glared after him. He needed to learn that touching her was a big no-no in her book. It would have to wait though. At least until she was done with whatever Leader-sama wanted. She sighed and walked to his office. Both Deidara and Sasori were waiting there. Leader-sama sat behind the desk.

"I've summoned you three here because I have a mission for you. You are all to go to Tanzaku town in the fire country. A spy managed to get a small potion of information about our organization. He cannot be allowed to live. You three are to find and assassinate him. His name is Kenji." He handed them a picture. He was a short pathetic looking man, whose hair was already disappearing despite the fact that, according to the paper, he was only about in his mid-thirties. She gave Pein a questioning look. "Although the man isn't a shinobi himself, the fire country knows that he holds valuable information and will guard him until he can reveal the information to the Konoha elders and the Hokage. We cannot let them reach Konoha. Also, there is a high chance that the have not arrived in Tanzaku town yet. This isn't a particularly difficult mission but it's important. Do NOT fail me. You are dismissed."

Ami returned to her room and packed for the mission, before meeting with Deidara and Sasori at the exit. Sasori was inside of his puppet, Hiroku. As they were running back to the fire country she reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out few sweets that she had hid there. Despite the fact that she usually didn't allow herself to indulge in such things, she was still a human who enjoyed them. She smiled.

"Hey Deidara, Tobi said that you banned him from eating candy."

"I did. yeah... Tobi is irritating enough as it is. Can you imagine him with sugar?"

She attempted to picture it and shuddered at the thought. "You know, that guy acts like a five year old. Anyone know how old he actually is?"

"No."

"He's been here for a while. But we still don't know too much about him, yeah..."

"I see. I wonder what's behind that odd mask of his..."

"Who knows, yeah..."

They crossed the border of the fire country about an hour and a half later. They made camp after another half hour. Unlike a normal shinobi squad, where the team members would have to keep watch in shifts, Sasori kept watch for almost all of the time. He rested for about a half hour before they did to rest his still living heart.

When they woke in the morning she caught a few small animals and cooked them for her and Deidara to eat. Then they continued their journey to Tanzaku town. They arrived by the end of the day. Before arriving they all removed their cloaks. Sasori, who wouldn't leave Hiroku behind, forced Ami to cast genjutsu on nearby people. It wouldn't work with higher level shinobi though. They checked into a cheap hotel using fake names and genjustsu to make the person at the counter think that they had paid. Then they plotted for the arrival of Kenji. He was supposed to arrive with an ANBU escort in the morning. Ami would act as a distraction while either Deidara or Sasori disposed of Keiji. It was simple and changes could easily be made if something went wrong. She would act as a normal villager and claim to need help from the ANBU, maybe about rogue shinobi. Then, once they were lured away, they would be disposed of. Simple.

The next morning, Ami dressed in a plain white kimono. It was elegant and beautiful despite it's lack of design. She personally found it irritating due to the fact that she never wore anything but ninja attire. When the ANBU arrived she ran up to them screaming. She yelled that there was a creepy silver haired man in the forest and that his face looked like it was half one person and half another. They ran off leaving only one ANBU with Kenji. She ran over to the remaining ANBU and pretended like she was frightened. The ANBU in question did nothing but stand there and ignore her. Perfect. She drove a chakra spear through the back of his skull. Kenji who was too stupid to pay attention didn't see it. She calmly walked up to him and killed him. Her white kimono was now dotted red. After a minute she heard a bomb go off in the forest. She sighed. She had told Deidara earlier to be discreet but apparently it was impossible. She picked up Kenji's body as proof of the kill and then ran to meet them. They were waiting for her surrounded by dead ANBU. She gave Deidara a dirty look.

"What?"

"Could you have made yourself any more obvious?"

"I'm sorry, yeah..."

"Whatever. Let's just get out of here." She threw the body to the ground. She put her Akatsuki cloak back on and removed the kimono while the cloak covered her. She quickly put her ninja attire on. Deidara frowned.

"Why did you put the cloak on first? yeah..."

She glared at him. "So perverts like you wouldn't see it." Sasori chuckled from inside Hiroku to which Deidara gave him a dirty look. She sighed in irritation.

"Can we just please get back to the base? The longer I stay here, the greater the chance of someone recognizing me." As she spoke she heard a gasp from the bushes. She immediately threw a kunai. She nearly laughed when she saw who it was, though she definitely wasn't pleased to see them. "Well, isn't this amusing? Of all the people I could I could see again it just had to be a Sasuke fan girl. It's nice to see you again, Ino-chan. Well... Not really..."

Ino glared at her. "You! You're the one who killed him!"

"Um.. Yeah... And you're the one who looked at him like he was something to eat. Hmph! And you call yourself a kunoichi." A furious look crossed her face. Ami just grinned.

"Why the hell did you do it?! Out of all the people he could have chose, he chose you! And you killed him! He opened himself to you! And you betrayed him..." Ami, whose attitude moments ago was amused, was now furious. She angrily slammed Ino into a tree.

"Let me make one thing clear. I didn't betray him. _HE_ betrayed _ME_. And trust me, you don't want him to open up to you. He could probably tell you things that would make your skin crawl. Not that it matters now. That bastard was a menace to society. I simply corrected this problem." She dropped Ino to the ground. Then, she tied her up with chakra ropes and used a justu to prevent her from speaking.

"Why don't you just kill her, yeah..."

She smiled sadly, but after a few moments, she forced it to turn into a grin. "I don't kill people for being naive."

"But won't those ropes fade? yeah.."

"Not until I let them fade, and by the time I do, we will be long gone. Beside's, what better way to tell a village that you hate them? I'll just leave a witness behind to do it for me."

Deidara shrugged. "Whatever. yeah..."

She gave a half salute to Ino. "Give my regards to Tsunade-sama will you?" Ino just struggled against the ropes.

Ami grinned, feeling rather pleased with herself. "Let's go."

Then, they took off back in the direction they came from. Surprisingly, no one followed. Each of them took turns carrying Kenji. For such a short man he was rather heavy. When they arrived back them reported to Pein's office.

"The mission went off without a hitch I presume?"

Ami grinned yet another time that day. "Yup! No problems at all."

"I'm surprised. Usually, when we send members back to their original countries they encounter difficulties."

Ami smirked. "All that happened was I able to achieve the satisfaction of tying up an old acquaintance."

"I see... Well, you are dismissed."

"Thank you Leader-sama."

**Ino's pov**

It took Ino forever to get released from the ropes. She had been found by shinobi a few hours after Ami and the others left, but they couldn't release her. After about eight hours of being tied up the ropes disappeared and the justu wore off. Without even talking to the shinobi that tried to rescue her, she ran the the hokage's office.

"Tsunade-sama!!"

Tsunade looked up from her papers. "What is it?" She asked noticing Ino's obvious distress.

"Ami-chan joined the Akatsuki!"

"Are you certain of this?"

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Tsunade looked down sadly. "Shizune, have Ami's records added to our criminal database... I'm afraid that there's no more hope for her..."

"Hai Tsunade-sama..."

**End of Chapter Five.**

(choking fit) Okay... I'm done for now. I can't breathe...

**Dei-**Don't you think you should go to the docter? yeah...

**K-** For what? A cold?

**Dei-** You're sick. yeah...

**K-**Fine. Later... Okay everyone. Please reaview... (sneezes) Oh and if anyone still wants to guess what happened to Ami I'll still tell them. I'm curiouis to see if anyone will guess right. It's not actually that hard of a guess. Thanks for reading and once again... Sorry for the wait.


	6. The Prank

I'm finally going to update peoples! Normally I would apologize for the delay in the update but this time I have a reason. An irritating reason too. School!!

**Dei-**Ewww...

**K-**I know... Anyway I'd like to thank my reviewers from the last chapter. Only two though this time. T.T  
These were Aster Uchiha and Twi Tsi aka bakugan girl. Woot! Disclaimer please!!

**Sasuke-**Katie-chan does not own Naruto.

**K-** GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!

**Everyone-** O.o

**Begin Flashback of Chapter Six**

_Ami walked up to Ichiraku's ramen stand. She wasn't crazy about it, but after training it wasn't too bad. She passed Naruto. He smiled and waved at her in his normal goofy manner._

_"Hey Ami-chan! What's up?" She smiled but only slightly. _

_"Nothing much.." She ordered a bowl of chicken ramen and sat down. "Hey Naruto?" He looked up. "What's up with that Sasuke?" _

_Naruto grinned and laughed. __"You noticed him like all the other girls, huh?" _

_She gave him a dirty look. __"As if. I hate pretty boys... He for some reason noticed me. He followed me when I was training and we sparred. I swear he let me beat them though. Then, when I asked him what was up, he just said he wanted to see how I fought. What the heck is up with him?" _

_"You actually let someone train with you?" He said, staring at her._

_She glared at him. __"He was bothering me standing on the side lines, so I told him to leave or help me train. I didn't actually recognize him as an Uchiha until I recognized his sharingan." _

_Naruto laughed. __"How the heck did you not recognize him? Every single other girl did." _

_She grinned. __"Well I'm not exactly every other girl now am I?" _

_He laughed again. __"True. Hey speak of the devil. Oi teme!" _

_The Uchiha in question walked into the shop. __"Hn." _

_Naruto smiled while Ami just looked at him with irritation. __"What are you a stalker? Stop following me." He smirked although she couldn't fully see it. _

_"I'm not following you I just happened to be hungry. Ichiraku is one of the best places to eat." He looked at Ayame. "One miso soup please?" She nodded and turned away to make it._

_"What are you talking about?!" Naruto said while laughing. "You never eat here unless I force you to come with me!" Sasuke shot him a death glare and he shrank away slightly. _

_It was Ami's turn to smirk. __"What's that about you just being hungry pretty boy?" He glared at her while she began to eat her food, happily ignoring the annoyed Uchiha. _

_Naruto stared at the scene in confusion. __"I'm gonna go..." _

_Ami gave him a look. It said plainly that if he left he would face her wrath but apparently Sasuke liked the idea of him leaving so he gave him an equally menacing glare. Apparently he feared Sasuke's wrath more then Ami's because he slunk away quietly. _

_"I'm going to kill him later..." She muttered under her breath. _

_Sasuke however, heard it anyway. __"He didn't do anything wrong... I'm just more intimidating than you." _

_She rolled her eyes. __"Uh huh. Whatever Pretty Boy." _

_"Can you not call me that?"_

_"Why? It amuses me." _

_He scowled at her while she merely smiled and ate. __"Yes, but it irritates me."_

_"So what Pretty Boy? Like I care what you think?" He glared at her furiously. She was going to laugh but held it back. She wanted to see how angry she could get him._

_"Don't call me that." _

_She smiled innocently. __"Call you what, Pretty Boy?" _

_His sharingan flared to life and then, unable to contain it, she burst into laughter. It faded after he saw her laughing. "Man you're easy to piss off. What's the matter? Not used to a girl who isn't obsessed with you?" She laughed again. "I swear it's pathetic. They drool over you for Kami's sake! Sometimes, I'm ashamed to admit we're part of the same gender. Anyway, I'm ranting now. I'll see you later Pretty Boy." _

_She placed her money on the counter and exited. A few moments later, Sasuke's miso soup arrived. He put money on the counter and left, leaving an unhappy Ayame behind. Sasuke's interest in Ami had just increased._

**End of Chapter Six Flashback**

Ami walked out of Pein's office with Deidara. "That was pretty easy for a mission."

Deidara smiled. "I think Leader-sama wanted to test out your abilities. yeah..."

She returned the smile. "I see... Well, I'm going to go back to my r-" She cut off. There was blood on the floor. She pulled out a kunai immediately and followed it.

She found the source. Hidan lay spread out on the floor in the middle of a giant symbol on the ground. A spike was impaled through his heart. She rushed to heal him but Deidara grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"You don't really want to do that. He'll be pissed if you interupt his ritual, yeah..."

"Ritual?"

"He's an immortal remember? This is part of the worship to his god Jashin."

Ami smirked, finding amusement in the ritual. "Hey, you know what they say, No pain, no gain."

Hidan opened his eyes. "Fuck yeah. Maybe you should convert."

She grinned. "Sorry, but if I go around stabbing myself, I won't last very long..."

"You could still sacrifice others to Jashin-sama. Maybe He'll grant you immortality like mine."

"Meh. I prefer just killing them."

Hidan frowned, looking like he was about to start bitching. "You're not an atheist are you?"

She smiled. "No, but ritual sacrifice would take up too much time for my liking."

"Worship to Jashin is worth the time." He pulled the spike out of his chest. He looked at the ground and laughed. "Kakuzu is gonna be pissed that I got blood everywhere but I honestly don't give a fuck. The stupid atheist only cares about money."

Ami laughed. "I guess that might get kinda irritating. Money is important but a person that doesn't care about anything else besides money? Ick."

Not a moment later footsteps entered the room. "I'm afraid even hell runs on money." Kakuzu. "Clean this mess up."

"I don't feel like it."

Kakuzu glared at him. "I'm going to kill you one day."

Hidan grinned. "You couldn't pull it off."

"Someday." He left the room, not wanting to deal with his immortal partner. Hidan was still smiling mischievously.

"I'm not going to push him too far. He might cut my head off again."

Ami stared at him. "Again?"

"Yeah... Again. Once I got him so pissed that he sliced my head off. After that I bitched at him until he helped me get it back on." She pictured his dismembered head cursing wildly and couldn't hold back her laughter. He glared at her. "What the fuck is so funny?"

She giggled. "Well besides the fact that a dismembered head cursed at someone?" She giggled again while Deidara rolled his eyes.

"It's not really that funny, yeah..."

"Well it hurt like a bitch, but I have to admit she has a point. If it happened to someone else, it would have been pretty fucking funny.

"Eh.. Not really.."

Ami pouted. "Aww.. You're no fun Deidara. Even Hidan agreed it was funny."

Hidan grinned, enjoying the opportunity to piss Deidara off.. "Yeah.. Why can't you be more fun?"

He stared them down resentfully. "Well... I'm sorry that I'm so boring, yeah..."

Smirking, she poked him on the forehead. "Ah, lighten up. I'm only teasing."

"You're way too serious." Hidan said with a grin. "Man you're like Kakuzu."

Deidara sniffed indignantly. "Hmph."

"Awww... Leave him alone Hidan-san."

"Aw fuck, I was just starting to have fun."

Ami cracked a small smile but made sure to add a disapproving look. "Be nice."

He frowned. "Aww.. man now you're not being any fun. Ah fuck this. I'll see you later." He picked up his scythe and exited.

**Hidan's pov**

As Hidan walked, he passed Kisame, Tobi, and Kakuzu. "Is it done?"

"Yeah." Kisame let out a cackle-like laugh.

"Yeah, but if anyone asks I was blackmailed." Kakuzu said while looking at him.

Hidan laughed at Kakuzu. "Correction. You were bribed."

"Tobi doesn't like this. What if Ami-chan gets mad?"

"We'll just blame it on you, Tobi."

"What? Blame it on Tobi? But then Ami-chan will get mad at Tobi. Tobi doesn't want to see Ami-chan get mad. Tobi isn't doing this anymore!" Hidan watched as he ran away from the group.

He laughed. "How pissed do you think she'll be?"

"Very. She doesn't put up with anything." Kisame grinned.

"Well at least I have a blackmail excuse."

"Bribery."

"Whatever... Just don't cry to me when she kicks your ass."

"It won't happen. And besides, I could have done far worse."

"Whatever. I'm blaming it on you though."

**Ami's pov**

"Why are you so glum Deidara?"

"I just don't like him. He gives me the creeps. yeah.."

"Whatever. I'm going to go take a shower. I smell like nature. Later."

"See you later, yeah..."

Ami left him in the living room and made her way to her own room. Taking off her dirty outfit, she walked into the bathroom and ran hot water. Stepping into the steamy water, she let all her tension slip away. Happily scrubbing herself with soap, she began to feel peaceful. After twenty minutes she hopped out and covered herself with a towel. She picked up her brush off the sink and wiped off the mirror to brush her hair. When she looked up, she screamed.

**Deidara's pov**

Deidara heard Ami scream and ran into her room. It was coming from the bathroom. He feared slightly what would happen if he walked in but did anyway. It took him everything he had just to hold back his laughter. Ami stood covered in only a towel. Her hair was a hot pink while her body had turned a brilliant purple. Her face was furious.

It was hard for Deidara to speak while holding back laughter. "Umm... What.. happened to you.. You're kinda... well.. colorful, yeah." he snickered.

Her glare was so frightening that Deidara suspected even the most powerful of shinobi would have been intimidated. Ami was pissed. "Someone sabotaged my shampoo and soap. I'm purple!! And my hair is pink! There are going to be heads rolling for this."

Deidara pushed his laughter away. "What's the matter with pink. yeah..."

"I HATE pink! I like purple, but this is ridiculous!"

He looked her up and down. Although purple, she was only in a towel. And she looked hot. She however caught him eyeing her. She punched him hard.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I don't like wandering eyes." She looked at herself. "Someone's going to die for this... Do you think Leader-sama would get pissed if I beat the crap outta one of the members?"

"Maybe.. I'm not sure if he would care if they deserved it. Maybe you should go ask him. yeah..."

"Good idea." He stood there waiting for her. "Um. I have to change..."

"Oh, Sorry." He exited leaving her alone.

**Ami's pov**

She pulled on some clean clothes and took off in the direction of the leader's office without even waiting for Deidara to follow. She passed Sasori as she ran, who stared at her. She passed Itachi too, but he ignored her completely. Finally she arrived and darted into the office. For someone who had so much to say only seconds earlier, she was completely speechless. Pein and Konan were standing next to each other with their lips pressed gently together. Her arms rested on his shoulders while his were circling her waist. It took her a few seconds to remember what she had wanted to say. Ami cleared her throat. The couple broke apart. Pein jumped into the chair behind the desk, while Konan stood of to the side. Both looked flustered.

"Um... I.. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No of course not... Um.. You... needed.. something..?"

"Um... Well... yeah.. I kinda wanted permission to beat the crap outta one of the members. As you've can see, I seem to be encountering some difficulties."

"Um.. sure yeah... Just don't severely injure anyone..."

"Oh.. Alright. Thanks..." She turned to leave but stopped and giggled. "Um... Next time? I think it might be a good idea to lock the office door." Both Pein and Konan blushed while she giggled again and left. Ami was just glad she hadn't caught them doing anything worse. She was sure that they wouldn't have been too happy if she had.

Deidara was waiting outside the office.

"What did Leader-sama say? yeah..."

"I got permission to bust some heads." She grinned. "I also found out some interesting details but I'm not sure if I should tell you or not." She smirked, having recovered from the slight shock of what she had seen. "Now who am I going to beat the crap out of..?"

"Ask Kakuzu-san. He knows everything. If you pay him, he'll probably tell you anything, yeah.." Deidara led her to his room. She banged on the door loudly.

"Kakuzu!. Open this door now!" After a few seconds it opened slowly.

"What the hell do you-" He cut off and stared.

"Who the hell did it?"

"Why should I tell you?"

She smirked. "I"ll give you 100."

"200."

"175."

"Deal. Hidan, Kisame, Tobi chickened out, and I was bribed." Ami glared at him, but decided since he had been the one to cough out the information, she would spare him.

"Thanks for the free info." Before he could say anything she took off.

**Kisame and Hidan**

"You think it worked yet?" Hidan said with a grin.

"Probably. I could have sworn I heard a scream earlier." Kisame said, trying not to grin as well.

"You think it was her?"

"Well it wasn't Konan-sama."

"Yeah, well-." He was cut off as Ami slammed him into the wall. Within seconds, his head was detached from his body. Kisame began to laugh, but found himself being slammed into the wall as well. A chakra infused kunai stabbed him in the shoulder. Kisame grimaced in pain, but Hidan began to curse wildly.

"Ow! What the fuck?! What the hell was that for you Jashin damned bitch?!?!"

Ami smirked, looking down at him. "Revenge." She laughed. "You know I tried to imagine a dismembered head being pissed would be funny, but this? This is hilarious."

Hidan swallowed his pride for a moment, knowing that if he said another insult, he would be even worse off. "Okay I'm fucking sorry, just help me get my body."

"Um..." She paused for a moment, as if debating, but then grinned. "No." Then, with a very satisfied smirk she left the room.

Kisame, who hadn't received too much damage, began to cackle. "She was really pissed."

"Just shut the fuck up and help me..."

**Ami's pov**

She walked back to her room smiling. Deidara was leaning against the wall waiting for her. "How'd it go? yeah..."

Ami smirked. "I think Hidan-san... lost his head." She burst into laughter at her own extremely stupid pun.

He stared at her. "You cut off his head?"

"Well, yeah..."

Deidara chuckled slightly. "He's gonna be pissed, yeah..."

"Well that's was the ass gets for messing with me."

"I guess so, yeah.."

"Anyway, I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed him on the cheek and walked into her room. She had no idea why she did it. She guessed it was just that she was in a good mood after getting her revenge.

Deidara held his hand up to his face where her lips had been. His face turned a light shade of red. "Wow.." He mumbled.

**End of Chapter Six**

There you go peoples. Another chapter. Woot! Okay I know this one was stupid but I wanted bonding time with the members. Well sorta. XD I threw in a Pein x Konan just for the fact that I love that pairing. Also you're lucky I'm finishing this update something happened mid-chapter and it stopped me from writing for about two days. So rejoice in this update. XD

**Dei-** You're a weirdo. yeah...

**K-** Duh!

**Pein-**Why did you make me and Konan kiss?

**K-**Cuz it should happen! You two are kawaii togeather!

**Konan-** (blush)

**K-**Ha! Even she knows it!! (giggle) Review people!! Or Zetsu will eat you!

**Zetsu-** (evil smile) Yum, people...


	7. Setting the Scene for Trouble

Sorry guys. I'm not sure when this update is going to be complete, but this update began on Halloween. I'm sorry, but I have EXTREME writer's block. Ugh... It really stinks. Whatev...

**Dei-** You seem cranky, yeah.

**K-** Duh... I'm tired and I have writer's block. Now leave me alone before I kick your ass.

**Sasori-** Just because you're cranky doesn't mean you should take it out on us.

**K-**I'm not... just Dei.

**Dei-** Why me?

**K-** I dunno.... You were just there I guess...

**Dei-** ...

**K-**I don't own Naruto... If I did I wouldn't have to wait a week for each new episode or chapter...

**Begin Flashback of Chapter Seven**

_Ami walked along the street of Konoha. That stupid Uchiha was still on her mind. 'What the heck does he want..?'_

_She checked the time. It was only a little after noon. She had trained earlier, she ate something, and now, since she didn't have a mission, there was nothing to do. Maybe she could go train again. She sighed out of boredom. _

_"Troubled?" _

_She almost jumped when she heard him. Almost. She glared at him. __"Stop following me you damned stalker!"_

_Sasuke frowned. Well, it was mostly a scowl, but then again, the members of the Uchiha clan weren't known for their facial expressions. In Uchiha language, it was a frown. "Stalker?"_

_"Yes, stalker. How many times have you bothered me today? Stop following me."_

_"I'm n-"_

_"And don't give me that bull that you're not. I know for a fact that you are. The ramen shop, remember?"_

_"Doesn't make me a stalker." _

_"Yes it does. You're following me around."_

_"And?"_

_"That is the damned definition of a stalker."_

_"But I'm not." _

_She growled in irritation. "What do you want, Pretty Boy?"_

_He shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the nickname. "Boredom...."_

_"Then go be bored somewhere else." _

_"Why?"_

_"Because I said so."_

_"Well, I'm going to defy your command."_

_Ami sighed, looking at him. "You're not going to leave, are you?"_

_Sasuke smirked. "No."_

_"Ah, alright then." She took off in the direction of the Hokage mountains. Sasuke stood, momentarily shocked, before following her. Ami rolled her eyes. "You don't give up, do you pretty boy?" _

_Sasuke smirked. "Hn."_

_Ami nearly pulled out her hair in frustration. "Ugh!" She made a sharp turn back in the direction of the village. She ran through the houses and apartments. Eventually, she lost him. She then headed to the only place she would be able to discuss the Uchiha's strange behavior. Naruto's house._

_She pounded noisily on the door. "Naruto!" A few moments later the door opened. Naruto had a cup of instant ramen in his hands. The moment he saw her, a look of fear crossed his face. _

_"Eh! I'm sorry Ami!!! I didn't mean to leave! I mean Sasuke... and you... and..."_

_"Naruto! Calm yourself. I just wanted to talk." _

_"Oh really? What for?" He asked, forgetting his prior fear of her._

_"Um, can I come in? If I stay out here my stalker will find me."_

_"Stalker? Um… Sure. Sorry for the mess." Said mess was the numerous papers, garbage and dirty dishes lying around the floor. She raised her eyebrows, to which Naruto made up an excuse. "I've been busy. What was it you wanted to talk about?" _

_She knew that the only reason Naruto's house was messy was because he was just too lazy to clean it, but she didn't bother saying that. "Well, basically, what I said before, my stalker, Sasuke-san."_

_Naruto choked on his ramen. "Sasuke?!"_

_"Geez. Calm down..."_

_"But Sasuke?! A stalker?!"_

_"Shut the hell up! Yes! He hasn't left me alone all day! Now I came here to be serious, so either shut your mouth, or I'm leaving."_

_Out of fear of Ami's wrath, he forced his laughter back. "Alright. So... what's up?"_

_"I told you. He won't leave me alone. He's been showing up wherever I go. What the heck is up with him?"_

_"I dunno... I've never seen him act like that... It is pretty strange."_

_"Yes. And it's driving me crazy." She crossed her arms. "I swear he's like a lost dog…"_

_"Yeah... Maybe h..." He was interrupted by a knock at the door. _

_"Naruto?" It was Sasuke. _

_"Damnit." She masked her chakra and darted into the bathroom. "I'm not here." She whispered quietly before shutting the door. It was left open just a crack. Just enough to hear what was going on. The front door opened. Footsteps could be heard walking into the room._

_"Hey Sasuke. What's up?" There was a pause._

_"Is there anyone here?" _

_"No."_

_"Good. I swear to you dobe, one word of what I'm going to say leaks out, you'll regret it." Ami could almost see Naruto's face. She stifled her laughter. She opened the door a bit more and peered out. _

_"Why the heck would I say anything?"_

_"Hn. Just remember that. You know Ami-san, right?"_

_"Yeah, what about her?" _

_"What type of stuff does she like?" _

_"What?" Naruto looked at him in surprise._

_Sasuke glared at him. "I'm not going to repeat myself."_

_"I heard you but... Why the heck would you want to know that?"_

_"None of your business dobe." He turned away and looked at the wall. Naruto stared at him momentarily. Then he grinned wider than the Cheshire cat._

_"Oh my god... You like Ami-chan!!!!" He doubled over in laughter. "I can't believe this!" He kept laughing until Sasuke's eyes flashed red. _

_"Naruto..." A warning. He stopped laughing, but the grin remained. _

_"Out of all the girls you could go after you pick the one who actually __**won't**__ go out with you."_

_"Hn. That's one of the reasons... Are you going to help or not?"_

_"Why don't you just ask her yourself?"_

_"I don't feel like it..."_

_"What? Are you afraid of rejection?" _

_"No..."_

_"Then just do it!"_

_"Whatever dobe... I guess I'll go train." Without even a simple goodbye he left. Naruto waited ten seconds before calling out to Ami. _

_"He's gone! And I think that just answered your question too."_

_"He likes me?! What the hell!"_

_Naruto simply laughed again. Ami, rather irritated, oulled a kunai out of her pouch and threw it at him. It hit his shirt and left a small rip._

_"Ack! What the hell is wrong with you two? Both you and Teme are out to get me! You two are dangerous!" _

_Ami smirked, not particularly enjoying being compared to the Uchiha. "Duh..." _

_"So, what are you going to do now?" _

_"What do you mean?" _

_"I mean you just heard that he liked you. What are you going to do? At least give him a chance..."_

_"Whatever... I'll see you around..." Running at medium speed, she headed back to the training grounds._

**End of Chapter Seven Flashback**

Ami spent most of the next day attempting to remove the dye from her skin and hair. Nothing worked. Eventually, through many interrogations of various members, she managed to find the instructions to remove it. Find them here meaning 'forcing Kisame and Hidan to search until they found it.' She didn't bother with Tobi, and Kakuzu wasn't the type that could be bossed around. Not to mention, he was still extremely pissed at her for not giving him money for telling her about the other two.

After Hidan and Kisame found the instructions, Ami managed to get the color to mostly fade. There was still a slight hue though. According to the bottle it would go away in a day or two. If it didn't, heads would roll. Again.

The next few days were boring. Most of the members were gone. Those that weren't had nothing to say. She was almost glad to see Kisame and Hidan return. At least they kept it interesting. She was happiest though, to see the clay bomber again. She wasn't really sure why, she just enjoyed his company. She couldn't say the same however, for the elder Uchiha. There was always hostility in the air when she was around him. She avoided him as much as possible.

It was a week before she finally got another mission. Thankfully, all of the color had faded by then.

It was a mission for her, Deidara, and Sasori again. Pein had a subordinate working, collecting information on Hachibi (eight tail). They would have to go through fire country, but at least they wouldn't have to stay there. Finally free from boredom, Ami began to pack for the mission.

**Konoha**

"Shizune!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

"Is the arrangement set up?"

"Hai. The Raikage agreed to let our shinobi around the village. He would prefer however that we do not enter."

"Good, I want Kakashi Hatake, Kotetsu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki, Anko Mitarashi, and Maito Gai. They will be the ones to go after them. Go."

Shizune bowed and ran out of the room. Tsunade sat back and rubbed her temples. Opening her desk drawer, she pulled out a bottle of sake. Empty. She let it fall into the trash. She sighed unhappily and made a mental note to have Shizune pick some up later.

**Ami's pov**

Ami smiled as she jumped across the branches. After having been in the base with nothing to do for a week, it felt wonderful to be outdoors again. Deidara and Sasori followed behind her.

"Slow down, yeah..."

Ami frowned at Deidara. "Why? I'm not going that fast."

He stared at her. "Yes you are."

Ami grinned. "No. You're just going too slow." She went faster.

"What the hell? yeah..." He sped up to match her speed.

She giggled. "Cool. Girly Man knows how to run too!" Deidara threw a kunai at her which she easily dodged. She pouted. "Awwww... Girly Man is being a meany... Sasori-san! Tell Girly Man to stop being mean!"

Sasori ignored them both, not getting involved.

"Stop calling me 'Girly Man', yeah... And slow down."

"I don't want to slow down Girly Man." She said, smiling innocently at him.

Deidara opened his mouth, but Sasori cut him off.

"Enough with the childishness. Slow down. If we keep going at this pace we'll arrive early and then we'll have to _wait _until our informant arrives." That did it. She slowed down considerably. Sasori knew, just as well as Ami, how irritating it was to wait for someone. He smirked but it was unseen due to Hiroku.

The trio eventually passed west of Konoha. Ami, to Deidara's disgust, spit in its direction.

"That's gross, yeah."

"Says a man who has mouths on his hands... Besides, those fools deserve much worse than being spit at from afar."

"Did they wrong you that severely?" Sasori's smooth voice sounded like a growl from inside his puppet.

"Yes..." Her voice no longer held a happy, playful tone. It wasn't even fully angry. All it held was bitterness.

Deidara attempted to comfort her. "But now you're with us, yeah."

"I guess so."

"You don't have to worry about it now, yeah."

"Hn."

Deidara rolled his eyes. "You've been hanging around with Uchihas for too long, yeah."

"You have no idea..." Her voice trailed off.

Deidara realized he had said the wrong thing, because for the rest of the day, she was completely silent. They stopped to make camp before they reached the border of Fire country. Still silent, Ami took out three sleeping bags and set them on the ground.

"Who's on first watch?"

"Me." Sasori responded.

"Fine. I'll go second.... Deidara can go third." Without another word she sat down in her sleeping bag. Deidara however, moved closer to Sasori. He gestured toward the edge of the campsite. Sasori nodded and followed him. He only spoke when he was sure Ami couldn't hear them.

"What do you think happened to her? yeah..."

"I'm not sure brat, but she seems to be very sensitive about the matter."

"I noticed, yeah..."

"Why are you so concerned anyway? It's really none of your business."

"I'm just a bit worried."

"Worried?"

"She seems really upset. She's just not letting it show. I just want to know why."

"She'll talk when she's ready. Women are complicated. Kunoichi are even more so."

"She said she would tell me eventually, yeah... It's just hard seeing her upset and not knowing the reason."

"You're getting attached."

"I am not!"

"Whatever you say brat, now go to sleep. We have a mission to do."

"I guess... Goodnight Danna." Slowly he walked back to the camp. Ami was sitting up in her sleeping bag, wide awake. She had a small smile on her face. It didn't reach her eyes though, and she still looked miserable.

"What'd you guys talk about?"

"Nothing really, yeah..."

"Really? Well then, why'd you leave?"

"No reason."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

He stood silent for a moment. "Yes, really. I'm going to bed, yeah..." He had already settled himself in his own sleeping bag when she spoke again.

"I'll tell you someday, Deidara."

"What! How did you know?"

Ami chuckled slightly. "I'm very good at stealth when I want to be."

"I see that, yeah. So basically, you heard everything?"

"Yup. So you're concerned about me, huh?"

Deidara's face turned red. He looked away to hide it, but she noticed anyway. She smirked. "G'night Deidara." Cuddling up in her sleeping bag, she let herself slip away.

He quietly watched her sleep. She looked really beautiful. He smiled softly before following her example.

**End of Chapter Seven**

Omfg.... That took a freakin' WEEK to write! On the bright side... I have a beta now. Woot!!!! Her name is Gaara's Cherry blossom!! (dances around happily) Oh, big thankies to Sheena and Kathy! They get a thankies for just being awesome!! Now, Thankies for my reviewers, xAkatsukixgirlx, Heaven-In-Distress, ZzGeniuszZ, Twi Tsi, And Okinawa Angel!!!

**Gaara:** Nice beta name...

**K-**Yup! Oh I almost forgot to say, for those of you who have read chapter 424 of the Naruto manga, please, take a moment of silence. Mourn with me....

**Dei-** What happened? yeah..

**K-**I can't tell you. They will find out when they read. Ok… Now review people!! Or I will... hmmm... running out of threats... Omfg!! I'll sick Kathy-senpai on you!!!

**Hidan-** O.o That chick can be scarier than me....

**K**- Yup! Much love Kathy and Sheena!!! ^.^


	8. Bonding Time

(sweatdrop) Yes I'm aware this is late. This one is extra long.

**Begin Flashback of Chapter Eight**

_Ami ran towards the field. The Uchiha was probably there by now. As irritating as he was, she was now curious about him. Not to mention, she knew Naruto would never leave her alone until she at least talked to him. She masked her chakra as she approached the training grounds. Finally arriving, she sat on a branch and and watched._

_Sasuke had his katana out and was using his lightning element to run electricity through it. Charging at a small tree, he sliced through it. She rolled her eyes but applauded slowly to gain his attention. He looked up at her, sharingan blazing. She jumped down. _

_"Now if you had just done that earlier I might have enjoyed training a bit more." _

_"..."_

_"It's no fun when your opponent holds back you know. It makes it... less interesting. "_

_"Hn..." _

_She sighed. "I guess we're back to a single syllable vocabulary, huh...?"_

_"..."_

_"Or... No words at all. Well, this is boring." She turned to leave. If he wasn't going to do anything there was no point in her staying. _

_"Wait." _

_She paused. Forcing away a smirk, she turned. "Yes?"_

_"Would you like to go get something to eat?"_

_She raised her eyebrows. "Something to eat?" _

_"Yes." He paused. "Forget I asked. I'm done here. You can have the training fie-"_

_"Sounds fine with me. Where do you want to go?" _

_"You're saying yes?"_

_"I think I am. My mouth is moving. Words are coming out. I wasn't the only one who heard them right?" She smirked as his face became slightly irritated. If he wanted to take her out he was going to have to put up with her. Especially her sarcasm. "I don't have all day you know. Either figure out where you want to go, or I'm leaving."_

_He stared at her, momentarily shocked. Being the Uchiha he was, he quickly regained his composure. Or rather, regained what little composure he had left after asking her out. "How about the dango shop?"_

_Ami shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I guess that'll work." She began walking. "You coming?" _

_After a nod, he followed after her._

**End Flashback of Chapter Eight**

Ami was woken during the night by Sasori to switch places. As she got up, she stole a glance at Deidara, who was sleeping soundly. She smiled slightly. Sasori watched her, not commenting. Ami noticed.

"What is it?"

"Absolutely nothing. I was just remembering an amusing thing from the past."

"Liar. You don't dwell on the past."

"True. Well if you must know, it's Deidara."

"Deidara?"

"Yes. As you realized last night he seems to have grown fond of you."

"Yeah..." She half smiled.

Sasori frowned. "This upsets you?"

She forced a full smile. "No. Not at all."

"Now you are lying... Has Deidara done something that upset you? As I recall last time you spoke, you were smiling."

"I know. Deidara hasn't done anything wrong. Like I said, I'll tell him eventually..." She trailed off, a sad look on her face. Then, she pushed it away. "It's my turn right? I guess I should start." She hopped up onto a tree branch. Sasori watched her momentarily then moved Hiroku towards the main camp. Ami leaned against another branch and began her shift.

A few hours later she woke Deidara for his. She smiled, but did nothing else. With a simple goodnight, Deidara began his shift. When morning came they all packed everything back up and headed back towards the border of the Fire Country. It was relatively easy to make it across the border. They encountered a few shinobi, but they were all easily dispatched. They stopped in a few of the small civilian villages on the way to Lightning Country. Nothing too big. There was a small bit of action at the border. A guard noticed their presence and had to be chased and killed so he wouldn't alert others. Easy.

Ami didn't talk much during this time. Deidara took notice and began to worry a bit. Sasori ignored them both. Finally, Deidara got sick of the silence and confronted her.

"What's wrong, yeah?"

She looked at him, but kept walking. "What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong with you, what?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

He frowned at her. "You're lying, yeah."

She didn't speak. Sasori walked a bit faster leaving them a few yards behind him. Neither of them noticed.

"Why can't you tell me?"

Ami was momentarily silent. "Because, it isn't your problem."

"It is now." He said, causing her to look at him questioningly.

"I... I'm concerned, yeah."

A sad smile formed on her face. "Don't be. It shouldn't matter to you. It's over now. That's the end of it. Like I said, it isn't your problem."

"But I-"

"Don't worry about it!" She snapped, causing him to look at her in shock. She looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's alright, yeah..."

"I..." She was cut off by a kunai whizzing past her face. She pulled out one of her own. While they had been talking they must have gotten close to the village. "Damn..." She felt around for chakra patterns. They were surrounded.

Well, Deidara and Ami were. Sasori wasn't nearby, that much she could tell. A man stepped out of the trees. A familiar face. One that she hadn't expected to see again.

"Ami-chan. It's nice to see you again."

She made a face. "Tell me, what makes you think that you can still walk up to me, like some old long lost friend? There's no need for you to be polite anymore, so now tell me, what the hell do you want, Kakashi?"

His eyes saddened slightly. For anyone else, this would have gone unnoticed, but after attempting to read his face for the longest time while she was in Konoha, she finally perfected it, despite him wearing the mask. Gai stepped out of the trees as well.

"You see Ami, we-"

"Gai." The green clad man silenced as Kakashi spoke, so he continued, now speaking to Ami. "You've become a threat to the security of leaf. You are to be arrested... or terminated."

"There's no way that you're going to get me to go back to the leaf unless I'm in a body bag, and, I'm not going to let that happen either. So, it seems like you're out of things to do. Just get out of the way before I'm forced to hurt you."

Kakashi sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do that." A women and two men, Anko, Kotetsu, and Izumu, walked forward. Ami really only knew Anko.

Ami glanced at Deidara. He was already forming a bunch of clay crickets and birds. She almost felt guilty for what might happen to her former allies. She forced the useless emotion away. They were the traitors, not her. It would only get her captured or killed to feel that way. If she had to choose, it would probably be the latter, but she was too strong for that.

"Last warning Ami. We do not wish to fight you."

"Letting personal reasons guide you in a fight will get you killed Kakashi-_sensei. _Or did you not know this? If I can recall correctly, you teach Konoha's future shinobi? If the next generation is taught like this, I highly doubt a positive future for my former village." She glared at him. "Although, I should really be warning you instead. Leave us be, or die."

Kakashi said nothing, but pulled his headband away from his left eye, exposing the sharingan. His face appeared saddened but the emotion disappeared within seconds.

She sighed, knowing that a fight could not be avoided. "As you wish. Pity." She looked at her blond haired partner, the other one not in sight. "Deidara?"

"Yes Ami-san?"

"Would you mind sitting out for a while?"

He hesitated, but nodded. "I guess so. Don't get yourself killed, yeah." He formed a few more clay birds along with a few insects. They sat on his shoulder, waiting to be directed.

Ami looked Kakashi in the eyes. "Prepare yourself, Sensei." Then she vanished, reappearing behind him, chakra blade aimed for his neck. It sliced through efficiently. In a flash of smoke, _Kakashi _was replaced by a log of wood.

"Substitution, how simple." She felt him behinds her and jumped away, barely missing his kunai. She landed and felt for the others. Gai, Anko, Kotetsu, and Izumu were still not fighting. She wasn't exactly sure of the reason, but she didn't want to chance fighting all of them. She focused her chakra into her hand. An extremely long spear of chakra formed. She stabbed it hard into the ground. She continued to add chakra to it, extending it deeper into the earth.

"Crumbling Earth Jutsu."

The area around them began to shake. Deidara looked at her questioningly. She just smiled slightly. A large crack spread across the ground, far too quick to be dodged. Suddenly, underneath all but herself, Deidara, and Kakashi, the ground collapsed. The Konoha shinobi fell down into a hole about fifty feet. She quickly pulled out a small item from her kunai pouch and threw it in the hole. After a few seconds, a purplish smoke rose out. It was a specially designed poison that she liked to use.

It didn't kill its victims, but merely drained their chakra. The effects wore off eventually, but by the time they did, the enemy was usually dead, or she was gone. It was hard to make though because the ingredients were hard to find, so she used it rarely. This had been the last of her supply. She knew that she had to make more soon.

Deidara stared at her in shock, mouth agape.

Ami grinned at him. "You'd better close your mouth before a bug flies in."

His mouth snapped shut.

Kakashi looked at her in surprise, but also respect. "Impressive, Ami-chan."

"I'm afraid its -san for you, Sensei. I am a member of Akatsuki. All ties from my former village are gone. I hold no alliance to it or its people, and I will not be addressed as someone who does."

Her face betrayed no emotion as she spoke. All the love and care she had once felt for her village was pushed away. A shinobi never looked back. "Now, if I remember correctly we have a battle to fight."

"It seems we do." He said, watching her.

She charged at him and swung a fist at his head. He dodged neatly. Bringing her leg up as he did, she grazed his side. Kakashi pulled out a kunai and swiped at her. She brought up chakra to block it. She swung her other arm.

He took this opportunity to slice her cheek with the kunai. He jumped back and pulled out a scroll. Recognizing the attack she jumped as well. He used the blood on the scroll, formed hand seals, and slammed it on the ground.

"Tsuiga no Jutsu!" _((A/N Tracking Fang Technique/fang pursuit jutsu.))_

"Shit. Deidara, off the ground!"

He jumped up in a tree. She began to follow but was forced down by a ninja hound. Four more broke from the ground, each latching onto her and forcing her to stop moving. Most likely the rest remained underground, remaining hidden until Deidara decided to exit from safety. He watched her, nearly about to jump down and help her.

"Damn it! Stay up there Deidara!" She almost snarled at him. Thankfully though, it stopped his movements.

Kakashi approached her. "I'm sorry it had to end like this, Ami-san. You were an excellent shinobi. You might have even been one of our best. The village could have benefited from your skills. It's a pity that you are gone."

"Truly?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in anger. "If I'm worth as much as you say, then the village wouldn't have betrayed me. You trusted the words of a true traitor over mine. I don't need your pathetic speech. You're to blame just as much as the rest of them. I assure you, I will never return to that damned village, unless it is to destroy it." Ami however, knew that the threat wasn't whole hearted. There were too many innocent in the leaf. However hateful she had become to the shinobi, she couldn't hold a grudge against the people. They were defenseless.

He watched her momentarily, then he began to form hand seals. Ox, rabbit, monkey. Ami forced back a look of fear. She knew the attack. It was the raikiri.

He grabbed his wrist and the familiar lightning element chakra formed on his hand. He held it up. "It's time to end this. Goodbye, Ami-san. Lightning blade!"

She closed her eyes and braced for the impact of his attack, knowing that the direct attack would probably be the end of her.

When she felt none, she slowly opened her eyes. They widened. Deidara had grabbed Kakashi's arm, stopping the attack. Deidara flung him away by his arm. Due to his focus on the raikiri, he couldn't stop himself from being thrown. He hit a nearby tree.

The remaining ninja hounds sprung out of the ground after Deidara, but he managed to dodge them.

"Get the scroll and stab it with a kunai!" Ami quickly called to him.

Deidara darted around the dogs again and grabbed it off the ground. He did so, and the dogs disappeared. She almost fell, but was caught by Deidara.

"You alright?"

"Fine and dandy. Hand me the scroll. The ninja dogs are one of Kakashi's valuable attacks. I'd rather not fight them in the future." She took it. Then, she approached Kakashi, who was in pain. When he had hit the tree, he had been impaled slightly on one of the branches.

"It's a shame the village was naive enough to trust a traitor. This might have never happened." She said, her face hard and emotionless. "Your stupidity will be your downfall."

She formed a blade of chakra, and raised it. Kakashi closed his eyes. She then shoved it in the ground near his head. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her in confusion.

She smiled, not a happy smile, but one that was filled with anger. "Don't worry Kakashi-san, I'm not going to kill you. I need you to give Tsunade-sama a message." Ami pulled out a piece of paper from her kunai pouch. Using her chakra, she touched the paper. The chakra created the words on the paper. After they appeared, she handed the paper to him.

"What does it say?" Deidara asked, watching her.

"Just a little warning to my former teacher."

"What if anyone else reads it, yeah? "

"Like it matters. Even if they do they're only reading the truth."

She sighed and walked away from her former comrade, not before pushing him in the pit with the others. She refused to let herself feel bad for the action.

"Does this mean we return to base?" She asked Deidara. "If we keep going, chances are we're going to run into more enemies. Especially if Konoha is getting involved."

"That's true, yeah. I think we should talk to Sasori-danna first."

Ami tried not to get angry. "Where the hell is that man?"

"As you know, I'm technically no longer a living man."

"Where the hell have you been?!" She yelled at him. So much for not losing her temper.

"I was on the sidelines, observing. I wasn't needed was I?"

"Obviously. We're alive, aren't we?"

"Yes, you are." He paused for a moment. "Mind telling what was in the note?"

"It's none of your business, Sasori-san. It's just a private note about the past. Why do you ask?"

"I am merely curious." He stated simply. She watched him for a moment, before accepting the answer.

"So, are we heading back?" She asked the puppet.

"Yes. I do believe it's time we returned to base. We don't want to encounter more trouble than necessary."

Ami nodded in agreement, and they began to head back. After running for a bit, she turned her attention to her blond haired partner.

"Thanks for saving me back there, Deidara." She smiled sincerely at him, and then ran ahead a bit to escape his direct view. Showing gratitude towards him had nearly made her blush.

Deidara and Sasori continued at their pace. After a bit, Deidara noticed that the other male seemed distracted. "What is it, Danna?"

"That note. Did you happen catch a glimpse of what was on it?"

"No. Why do you ask, yeah?"

"I worry that she may be keeping contact with her village."

"Like a spy?"

"Precisely."

"That's ridiculous, yeah. She hates her village."

"So she says. You know, as well as I do, how well some shinobi can act."

"Why the sudden mistrust?"

"She just sent a note, which none of us have seen, to the Hokage. If this was anyone else, wouldn't you find it suspicious?"

"..."

"You're letting yourself fall for her, Deidara. In the end, you're going to get yourself killed."

"..."

"Just remember where your loyalties lie." Sasori then moved ahead and caught up with Ami. She smiled pleasantly at him.

"Hello, Sasori-san."

He nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't respond.

Deidara however, remained a few feet behind, pondering Sasori's words.

**Konoha**

"Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage in question had been sleeping on her desk. She looked up groggily as Shizune spoke. "Yes, Shizune."

"The mission that was assigned for the retrieval of Ami-san was a failure. None of the team died, but they were injured and drained of chakra. After fighting with Ami-san, Kakashi-san was given a note from her to give to you." She held out a piece of paper. Tsunade took it and opened it.

_Tsunade-sama,_

_Are you well? I, unfortunately, am not. And it's all thanks to the village. And, importantly, you. Your betrayal of me was even worse than his. It was hard enough having to suffer, but due to you, my suffering was only worse. I even feel bad for my stupid old village. The people should be ashamed of their shinobi, and their Kage. Yes, __Tsunade-sama, you. When that Uchiha came back, he was welcomed like a hero, even after all of the things he had done. I had done nothing wrong until then. But when I killed that traitor, I was treated like scum. I told you the truth, Tsunade-sama, you just didn't believe me. __So much for Konoha being one of the most fair of the great nations. It's just as corrupt and terrible as we consider the others to be. _

_I would ask why you didn't help me, but I will not for two reasons. I highly doubt I would ever be able to get an answer, and sadly, I already know. You just didn't care about me. Thanks for everything and nothing. I honestly hope you all may suffer the way I did. Perhaps then you would be able to understand. Until then, I remain with the Akatsuki organization. I advise you to not send any more shinobi. If you haven't noticed, they all returned in one piece. Next time, I might not be so charitable. _

_I must say though, I am amused. You didn't even send that many shinobi. The fact that you would take me so lightly, is yet another proof of your ignorance. You did train me after all, but I guess I shouldn't really expect you to know me. Your betrayal was proof enough. _

_Oh well. I guess this is the last time I will be talking to you on mildly friendly terms. From now on, we are enemies. Perhaps you will see the truth some day, but I'm sorry. I will never return. _

_Goodbye, Tsunade-sama._

_-Ami_

Tsunade stared at the letter. After a moment, a single tear ran down her face. "I'm sorry Ami..." She mumbled softly.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, looking at her in worry.

"..."

"Are you alright?"

Tsunade let her head rest on her desk once again, trying to forget the memories.

**Pein's Office**

"You feel she is going to betray us?" Pein asked, looking at the man before him.

"Not exactly, Leader-sama. I am actually unsure. The only fact that I do know is that she is hiding something."

"What exactly?"

"I am unsure. As we both already know, it involves her past, but it could be anything."

"If any other odd behavior is exhibited, I will use a justu to look inside of her mind. Though she did send a note, I don't believe it contained any information about the organization. Even the most foolish of shinobi would not have given out information in the open like that."

Sasori remained silent, so Pein continued.

"Keep a watch on her and have Deidara do the same. For now, there is no need to act against her."

"I understand, Leader-sama."

"You are dismissed, Sasori."

**Ami's pov**

"You fought really well back there Ami, yeah."

"You think so? You had to save my ass. How is that fighting well?"

"You saved my ass from those dogs, yeah..."

"You saved me from the Raikiri."

"I guess we're even then, yeah..."

Ami grinned. "I guess we are." She paused. "I wonder where Sasori went."

"He's speaking to Leader-sama. yeah..."

"How? Leader-sama isn't here... He's away on business."

"Through a jutsu. I'll show you later."

"Sounds fine with me. I'm not really in the mood to try and focus."

**At the Base**

Ami arrived back at the base hungry and slightly tired from walking so much. The first thing they did was eat. The dehydrated food and solider pills, that were eaten on missions, got boring after a while. It was nice to have real food again. Now full, she was content in just relaxing. She sighed happily.

"When do you think we'll be assigned our next mission?" She asked Deidara.

"Can't be sure. It's whenever Leader-sama decides to give us one, yeah."

"That's rather irritating, but I can't say it's anything new. They did the same thing back in the leaf. Usually I trained in between missions."

"You trained?"

"Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?"

"Most females back at Iwa did absolutely nothing, yeah. Either they raised children or acted like slaves to their husbands. Any other females didn't care about being a shinobi. I suppose Konohagakure _would _be different though. Look at it, yeah. It has a female Kage."

"She's a good Kage, so it really doesn't matter her gender."

"That's why you're so angry at her, yeah. Plus, _you _came from that village, so I suppose the kunoichi there must be really powerful."

Ami gave a half smile. "Strong, yes, but they're weakened by their petty dreams. They seek all that they cannot have, and in turn, become blinded by that greed."

"Sounds like Kakuzu, yeah. You don't seem to like them very much."

She smiled. "Not really. I had always hated the other girls. Well, not all of them though. Only most of them. Tenten-san was alright. So was Sabaku no Temari. Now, _she_was a strong kunoichi. She had my respect. Tsunade-sama used to have it as well, but after the incident in Konoha, it was lost."

"Incident?"

"..."

"Oh. I'm sorry, yeah."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not behaving like a shinobi. I shouldn't let my former village affect me. It's childish and worthless."

"We may be shinobi, but we're not exactly on the battlefield are we? There's no need to be that serious now, yeah."

"I used to be carefree when I was younger. Well, maybe not carefree. I still was a shinobi after all, but now, it seems that I just can't revert back."

"I'm sorry, yeah."

She smiled, a small hint of sadness visible. "It's fine. Like I said, I'm being childish."

"Stop being silly." He leaned over and flicked her forehead. "I'm an S-ranked criminal, yeah. You don't see me trying to be all serious."

She gave him an irritated look. "Don't flick me."

"Why not? Yeah.." He reached over and did it again.

The irritated look became a glare. "I'm going to hurt you, Deidara."

"No need to get all angry at me." He did it again.

She growled at him. "Deidara, I'm warning you."

He grinned stupidly. "And?"

He reached out, but she knocked his arm away. She jumped behind him, grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back, pinning him to the ground. She then sat on his back.

"Ow. What the hell? Yeah."

She smirked slightly. "I warned you."

"You didn't have to be so rough. That hurt, yeah." His voice was whiny. "I was just kidding."

Ami nearly laughed. He was behaving like a child. "I told you to stop didn't I?"

"..."

She smirked. She didn't plan on letting him up until she was able to have her fun. "I can't hear you."

"Yes." He mumbled.

"Could you repeat that please?"

"Yes, you did!"

She smirked even more, even though it was unseen by the man pinned on the ground. "Now what do you say?"

"What?" He asked cluelessly.

"What? Do? You? Say?" She repeated slowly.

"No idea, yeah."

"Come on, this is pre-genin."

"..."

"I'll give you a hint. It begins with an S."

"S? Um, Sorry?" He couldn't believe that she was making him say it.

"Very good!" She spoke in a mock childish voice, as if she was speaking to a toddler. "Now, be a good shinobi and say it again."

"Hell no! Let me up!"

"Not until you apologize. Remember, manners first. Now, I want you to say it."

She heard him mutter 'bitch' under his breath.

"Ah, ah, ah." She tsked. "That's not very polite." She held both of his hands with one of hers, and poked his side, causing him to laugh.

"Hey! Don't do that, yeah!"

"Looks like little Dei Dei is ticklish." She poked him again, causing him to burst into laughter. She repeated it.

"Knock it off, yeah!" He laughed again. "That's not funny!"

"To the contrary, I find it extremely funny. You're like a little child." She kept tickling him.

"Okay, stop! I give in! I'm sorry!" He managed to blurt out in between laughter.

She smirked in victory and dove off across the room to prevent him from fighting back. "I win." She stated happily.

He glared at her. "That was cruel, yeah."

She giggled softly, after a few seconds, laughing at him. "No, that was funny."

He stuck his tongue out at her. She grinned and did the same.

He smirked. "Now you are acting childish, yeah."

Ami smiled softly, knowing that he was right. "I guess I am."

Deidara smiled. "It isn't so bad is it?"

"Not really, but, children are innocent. I'm not..." She began to frown.

Deidara walked over to her and raised his hand to her head. "I swear I'll flick you again, yeah."

She giggled slightly. "Then I'll just have to fight back again, and then I'll just win again."

"So sure of yourself, yeah. Not very smart for a kunoichi."

"Yes, but I know I can kick your butt any day."

"Keep dreaming, yeah."

"I don't wanna. If I kick your butt now it'll be over with."

"I already beat you in a fight though, yeah."

"True, but I was off that day."

"Liar."

"Am not."

"Are too, yeah."

"You're irritating."

"I know you are, yeah." He stuck his tonge out.

"And immature."

"Yup."

"How the hell are you an S-ranked criminal?"

"I guess it's just my good looks, yeah."

"Good looks my ass."

He smirked. "You have a very nice one."

"Pervert!"

"You already knew that."

"Just shut up already!"

"Don't feel like it."

"I swear I'm going to lock you in a closet."

"I'd just blow the door off."

"Just stop speaking!" She ordered, growing angry.

"No."

"Ugh!" She tackled him, and slapped his mouth with a handful of chakra. It stuck to his mouth, effectively sealing it. Deidara looked at her incredulously. He pulled at it, but it didn't budge.

She grinned. "Ah... Sweet silence." She stood up triumphantly. He attempted to speak, but there was only a very muffled nasally sound. She laughed at him.

He scrambled around for a second before he found a piece of paper. Quickly, he scribbled down some words. _'Take this off.'_

"Why should I"

_'Because I can't talk.'_

"That's the point." She smirked.

_'Please?'_

"Nah... I think I like you better this way."

He made a growling sound and lunged at her. She giggled and dodged out of the way, then darted back to her room. He attempted to get in, but it was locked. He couldn't blow it up either, or Leader-sama would practically murder him.

He eventually gave up on trying getting Ami to help and went to find someone else that might be able to help. The first person he ran into was Kisame.

"What the hell happened to you?" Kisame asked.

Deidara pointed toward Ami's room.

"She did that to you?!"

Deidara just nodded since he couldn't do anything else.

Kisame looked at it closer. "Is that chakra?"

Deidara nodded again.

"Maybe the samehada will be able to absorb it..." He pulled out the giant sword. Deidara's eyes widened. He shook his head quickly and waved his hands around to try to tell him to put it away. Kisame ignored it. "Hold still." He said, but Deidara had already ran.

Deidara fled down the hall away from the sword master and his odd weapon. He ended up nearly running into Itachi. The red-eyed man simply gazed at Deidara's predicament momentarily before walking away. The ever uncaring Uchiha. He ran to Sasori's room and pounded on the door. After a moment, it opened.

"What do you want, brat?"

Deidara pointed at the seal desperately.

Sasori gave him a curious look. "How did you manage to do that?"

"..."

"Oh, well I guess I should help you get it off or me asking anything is useless."

He opened the door wider to allow for entrance. Deidara walked in slowly. There were various puppets and parts around the floor and workbench. Deidara sat on a chair and looked at Sasori. Sasori took a sebon and touched the chakra with it.

"Whatever it is, it's powerful."

Deidara saw a piece of paper on the desk. He began jotting down words.

_'Ami did it. She wanted me to be quiet. When I didn't, she sealed my mouth her that special chakra of hers.'_

"I believe that she may be the one that needs to take it off then. Coming to me for help is rather pointless." Sasori looked at it for a bit longer. "I don't believe there is anything I can do. I'm rather sorry, Deidara."

Deidara let out an odd sigh through his nose, since his mouth was sealed. He then stood up to go back to Ami's room. A kunai flew above his head. He looked back at Sasori, who had done it to gain his attention.

"I have orders from Leader-sama about Ami-san. You are to observe her, and make note of any odd or suspicious behavior. She isn't in trouble, so please don't worry. It is just a precaution."

Deidara nodded and left. He didn't like what Sasori had told him, but there wasn't anything that could be done. At least she wasn't in trouble.

On his way back to Ami's room, he was sure to avoid Kisame. He gently knocked on Ami's door. It opened.

"Hi Deidara!" She grinned.

He nodded to say hello back. Then, he pointed to his mouth, a pleading look on his face.

She smiled, trying not to laugh. "Alright, I think you've suffered long enough. If you hadn't left, and had waited by the door, I might have taken it off sooner." She reached out and poked it. It vanished immediately.

Deidara sighed in relief. "Kisame was going to use the samehada to try and take it off, yeah."

She stared at him, the grin on her face vanishing. "Seriously? Is he mad?! He would've cut your face off."

"I know, yeah. Thanks a lot."

"It's your fault. You wouldn't shut up."

He stuck out her tongue at her. "You wouldn't cheer up, yeah."

She did the same to him. "How can anyone cheer up with you around?"

"That's a low blow."

"Is not." She pouted.

Deidara laughed slightly. The pout was extremely cute. Ami looked at him curiously, but he simply smiled at her.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Nothing really. You're just cute, yeah."

"Me? Cute?"

"Yeah, you are." He said, before smiling again. "Thanks for taking that seal off, yeah. Not being able to talk can be a pain." He leaned over and kissed her cheek thankfully. He wasn't sure how she would react, but he wanted to try anyway. He was happy to see a light blush form on her skin.

"You're welcome." She mumbled.

"I think we should take a rest, yeah. After all, Leader-sama is rather random with the missions. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Ami-chan." He left the room grinning, returning to his own room.

Ami sat on her bed and curled up in the blankets. A small red tinge still covered her face.

"Good night..." She said softly.

**End of Chapter Eight**

This update was begun extremely early. Though I had planned on finishing this a while ago, things kept getting in the way. I hope all of you had a good Holiday season and a wonderful New Year. I would like to thank ZzGeniuszZ, Aster Uchiha, and my little adoptive sister Twi Tsi. You guys are the best. I'm reeeeeally sorry that I didn't update sooner. Please don't murder me.... Katie-chan is sorry. To make it up to you guys this chapter is about double the usual length. One good thing is that I broke my writer's block. Ever since, I seem to not want to stop typing. I'm guessing this is a good thing for you guys.

Anyway, Please review, even if I am a bad author and don't deserve it at the moment. _(sad little author)_


	9. Nonsense and Dating Games

Hey. I know I've been lax on updating, I'm really sorry guys. I had actually planned on updating far earlier, but I encountered some issues. I had gotten pretty far with the update to Gaara and Mika, but due to life getting in the way, I had to stop for a while. Then, when I went to finish, I found that the life on the story had expired. The story wasn't saved on my computer, so I had to re-type the entire thing. Sucks for me.... But, now I'm back! Yay! Thank you Aster Uchiha, Crying blue Rose (aka ZzgeniuszZ), and Night's Second Moon (aka Twi Tsi) for reviewing the story. Disclaimer please!

**All: **...

**K:** Anyone...?

**All:** .....

**K: **Someone just say the damned thing!

**Madara: **Katie does not own Naruto.

**K: **(gasp) Madara-sama! (glomps Madara) ((is obsessed with))

**Madara: **Don't. Touch. Me. (glares with the sharingan)

**K: **(lets go and backs away) Fine, sheesh! Man. I think I like you better as Tobi. (throws mask at Madara's head)

**Madara: **(mask hits head and falls to floor with a clack sound) You're dead.... (glaring with murderous intent)

**K: **Oh sh- (dodges a kunai and runs)

**(A note from the author)**

**Hello, as many of you probably now hate me for, I havn't been updating. I truely am sorry everyone. Life lately has been extremely difficult. Because of this, I developed extreme writer's block. **

**Another note is that though I used to have a beta read this before I updated, I really don't know if she even knows I exist anymore. So therefore, if there are any errors, please feel free to tell me. **

**And finally, while reading the chapters that I'm currently publishing, it almost seems like a giant mood swing. It starts out rather hyper and bubbly, but moves on to a far more serious tone. I'm sorry for this. Please try to push past this. **

**Begin**

_Ami picked up a stick of dango and bit a piece happily. The Uchiha had paid for both of them. He said something about it being his idea, so he should pay for them. Normally she didn't really let people pay for her, but since the Uchiha was technically trying to take her on a date, she let him. _

_She looked rather childish as she sat on a bench and ate. Especially since her legs were swinging back and forth. Sasuke watched her quietly as he ate some of his own. Though she knew that her current appearance probably made her far less frightening, she didn't care. She ignored him and continued eating. It was only after she had ate a second piece that she payed attention to him. _

_"So pretty boy, what's with the random invitation to eat? And even the stalker-ness in general." She looked at him like she was genuinely curious, even though she already knew._

_"....."_

_Ami sighed. "If you're going to play the silent game then I'll just leave. I don't see a point in talking to someone who isn't going to talk back. Not that I'm really a talker to begin with. At least acknowledge that I'm speaking for Kami's sake."_

_"Hn."_

_She growled. "And I swear, if you say 'hn' one more time, I'm going to beat your head in."_

_He raised his eyebrows. "You said to acknowledge you. I am."_

_She twitched. This guy could really get on her nerves. She stopped herself from hurting him by focusing her attention on eating the dango. _

_Sasuke smirked. "Now look who's playing the silent treatment." _

_"Look at who's been avoiding my first question."_

_He shut his mouth immediately, the smirk fading. It was her turn to smirk. He was too stubborn to admit anything to her. She would just have to taunt him until he did. Or until she decided to tell him she already knew. Not that it made a difference. _

_"So... Pretty boy, I heard you were at Naruto's earlier. What did you two talk about...?"_

_"Old times." He answered, being extremely vague._

_"Really? Well, that's nice. You guys talk about new times?"_

_"New times?" He looked at her curiously._

_"Yeah. New times. What it's been like to be back, anything interesting lately... You know."_

_"Yeah, I guess." _

_"You guys talk about girls...?"_

_"No." He said, not really looking at her, his voice almost defensive._

_She almost laughed. "Not at all? Surely, pretty boy would talk about at least one of his little obsessed fangirls."_

_"...."_

_She snickered. "Back to the silent game I see. I wonder, why would pretty boy want to avoid the subject?"_

_"...."_

_A full smirk formed on her face. "Perhaps I should just give up and just **tell** you what you two talked about."_

_He looked at her curiously. Then became furious. "I swear I'm going to kill that dobe." He stood up about to leave, but she pulled his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down._

_"Don't go blaming Naruto. It's your fault that you're apparently a terrible shinobi. I was there the entire time."_

_"What?"_

_"Yeah. I was hiding out in the bathroom the entire time. I mean, I **was**masking my chakra, but a good enough shinobi should've noticed it anyway. Apparently you didn't get enough training after you left Konoha."_

_"You heard everything....?"_

_"Well**, **I** did **say I was there for the entire time didn't I? Not only do you suck as a shinobi, you apparently don't listen much." __She knew she was being a bit cruel, but she was enjoying herself. The Uchiha had a big ego. He could deal with it being damaged. She smirked and bit into another piece of dango. "Not to mention you're a coward. Either that, or just plain creepy. You decided to become a stalker, just so you could ask me on a date." She paused. "Not that I'm complaining about getting some dango." _

_"Some free dango."_

_She snickered. "Yes. Some free dango.__" She bit off another piece. There was only one left now. "So, now that we've established your reasoning for taking me on a date, now what?" _

_He looked at her with a mildly confused look on his face. She rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do now pretty boy? Though it is rather amusing that you tried to hide it, I'm not sure what to think about your, not-so-likable-methods of trying to ask me out. Though, it is rather lucky that you're a crap shinobi. Other-wise, I would've eventually kicked your ass all the way back to Otogakure. That might've been fun... I haven't actually had a good fight in a while..." She smirked. "I seem to be getting off topic... So, as I was saying, What now?"_

_"How about I take you on another date?" __For some reason, the Uchiha seemed to have gained back his cocky attitude. "I mean, this one wasn't exactly what you would call romantic."_

_She snickered. "I wasn't aware that Uchihas were anywhere near romantic. But a better date might be nice."_

_"So I'll take that as a yes?"_

_She rolled her eyes and chuckled, taking a few seconds before speaking to eat the last piece of dango. "Yeah pretty boy... It's a yes."_

**_Endflashback_**

Ami woke up rather early to the smell of burning. She looked at the clock, and saw it was only 4:00. Though she wanted to ignore the smell and go back to sleep, being a shinobi, it would be irresponsible. Especially if the base was under attack.

Jumping out of bed, she ran to the source, which happened to be the kitchen. There, she was shocked to find, Leader-samahimself, in the middle of a sad attempt to make breakfast. The stove was on, and there was a frying pan on top. Inside, was what _looked_ like eggs, but she couldn't be sure because they were too badly burned. He tried to remove the burnt eggs with a spatula, but they stuck to the pan. After trying furiously to remove the eggs, he ended up dropping a majority of it on the floor and stove. The stove nearly set on fire.

She nearly laughed at him, but refrained from doing so in fear of his wrath. Instead, she opted on trying to help him. She ran to the stove, and switched it off to prevent their apparently terrible chef of a leader from burning up the base.

He looked at her with what almost looked like a child's pout after not getting what they wanted. "Why did you turn the stove off?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Because you were going to set the entire kitchen on fire." She carefully removed the rest of the burnt egg from the pan and put it in the garbage. Then, after cleaning up the mess, she grabbed two new eggs, and cracked them open in a dish. Pein stared at her.

"What _are_ you doing?"

"Cooking, as it seems you can't. How in the world did you get eggs to stick that badly? I mean, did you forget to put some butter on the pan?"

"I'm supposed to put butter?"

She stared at him. "You don't cook very often, do you...?

"No."

"Well, that explains it." She turned on the stove and put a tiny bit of butter in the pan. Then, she scrambled the eggs and cooked them. After putting them on a plate she handed them to him.

"Thanks..."

"Welcome. Next time, ask one of the others members or me to do it. Konan should know how to cook right? Why didn't you ask her?"

He muttered something under his breath.

"What?"

"I said she's sick. These are for her... Normally, I don't cook. She does." She couldn't help but smirk at him, to which he glared. "It isn't funny."

She chuckled. "I'm sorry to say Leader-sama, but I'm afraid it is... Tell Konan to feel better. That is, if you don't mind."

"I will..."

"See you Leader-sama..."

"..."

She smirked. "You don't have to be all cranky because you can't cook..."

He glared at her, resulting in her darting out of the room. Pissing people off was fun, but pissing off a man who could probably kill her with ease was just plain stupid. Then again, she did have her stupid points.

Pein took the food to Konan. Seeing it, she smiled. "Since when can you cook?"

"I still can't..." He muttered.

Konan smirked. "Well then, who did you force to cook for you?"

"No one. Ami woke up and practically took over the stove. Then, actually _made fun _of my poor cooking ability. Hmph..."

She laughed at him. "See what I mean about her? She isn't going back to the other side. You really think a spy would actually risk their entire mission to give cooking tips to the leader of the Akatsuki?"

"I see your point. By the way, I decided to give the order after all."

"I'm not worried. Nothing will happen."

" So assured... Oh, by the way, she said to feel better..."

For some odd reason Ami couldn't fall back asleep. At 5:30, she gave up, and decided to go find something to do elsewhere. Finally, she settled on irritating Deidara. After properly getting ready for the day, she quietly snuck to his room. She could hear him snoring softly and held back a laugh. Opening the door quietly, she walked over to the bed, took a deep breath, and yelled loudly by his head. The result was hilarious.

He sat up swiftly and immediatly tried to jump out of bed. The only problem was he was tangled in the bedsheets, and the result was him falling on the floor. She broke into laughter.

"Wow Deidara...! I wasn't sure you would fall for that, but man! That was funny!"

His face was irritated. It was obvious he hadn't wanted to wake up any time soon. Not that she blamed him. She didn't particularly like getting up early either. He glared at her angrily.

"Any reason why that you woke me...? yeah..."

She let out an evil giggle. "Nope!"

He cursed under his breath.

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" She threw a pen at him that she had found on the table next to her. It hit him on the head. She was about to start laughing, when she noticed a clay insect right in front of her face. Deidara was looking at her with a thoroughly furious look on his face, that almost seemed maniacal. She held up her hands defensively. "Hey Deidara...! Come on! I was kidding...! You know, kidding..."

"And I was sleeping... yeah."

"Oh shit..." Quickly, she formed a protective layer of chakra around herself. As it turns out, just in time, for he yelled 'katsu' and the insect exploded. It wasn't one of the more powerful explosions, so the room was intact. Though, she wouldn't have been if it wasn't for her chakra. Her chakra didn't protect her ears however, and they hurt from the loud bang. She was sure the rest of the base was now awake. They were going to be so angry at her for causing Deidara to wake them.

When the smoke cleared, she found that she was now surrounded by even more clay insects. She cursed loudly before darting from the room. A furious Deidara followed. She ran past Sasori who was free from his puppet Hiroku. He looked like he was about to ask what happened, but then Deidara stormed past him as well. No longer really caring, he walked back to his room. The next she passed was a rather cranky Kisame. Apparently he wasn't much of a morning person either.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked.

"Can't talk right now! Running for my life!"

Still curious, he ran along with her. "Your life?"

"Well you see... I kinda woke Deidara up. He's not really the type of person you want to piss off in the morning."

"_You're_ the one who woke him up?!" He now looked pissed at her as well.

"Crap!" She ran faster, now being chased by not only one, but two S-ranked criminals. Kisame held the samehada in his hand, ready to rip her to shreads with it. _"At least you're getting excercise."_An irritating little voice in the back of her head rang. She ignored it. She continued to run, fearing either the angry blue man or the clay bomber would reach her. Little by little, she found the distance between them growing. She grinned then formed a net of chakra. She threw it back at them, snaring Kisame. She smirked seeing him fall to the ground, the Samehada useless at his side. It had come to her realization that she would not be able to rid herself of Deidara so easily. She skidded to a stop and formed a solid sphere of chakra in her hand. She then tossed it quickly into the air before doing the same once more. She repeated herself many times until the amount of spheres equaled the amount of insects. She then sent them forward. She barely made it in time as he had reached her. Each sphere surrounded an insect just as the word 'katsu' could be heard. The insects exploded inside of the spheres causing them to expand slightly. The explosions remained contained however. She was glad the bombs were only C1. If he had been insane enough to use something more powerful, she wouldn't have been able to stop the blast. She laughed at Deidara's irritated face, but then her own became wary. His irritated look became a grin. To her surprise the shadow-like form of Pein appeared next to her. "Very good job defending yourself from Deidara's attack."

She stared at the shadow. "What are you talking about?"

Deidara laughed. "Do you really think that I'm THAT bad of a morning person? Leader had assigned for me to have a bit of a practice match with you today. I hadn't planned on doing it until later, but you made for such a perfect opportunity. Yeah. I hadn't expected for Kisame-san to join in though."

Realization hit her. She gave him a dirty look while he continued to laugh. The shadowy figure of Pein sighed before vanishing, muttering something about childish behavior.

Ami looked thoroughly pissed. She glared at Deidara who was still laughing. She slapped her hand over his mouth, effectively sealing it like she had done the day earlier. He tried to get her to take it off but was unsuccessful.

The ending result was him walking around for hours until Pein ordered her to take it off, as well as threatening to kill her if she did it again. The actual chance of the threat happening wasn't likely though. He was beyond killing members for such ridiculous reasons. She was sure he would find some other way to torment her.

Even later on in the day Pein called her, as well as Deidara and Sasori to come see him. It was another mission assignment. This one was an assassination. A small shinobi-less nation had hired the members to assasinate a corrupt lord. The citizens had pooled a large amount of money together for the people responsible of the kill. They were also to bring the body back. According to Kakuzu, it would fetch a fine price on the black market. She had almost asked why Kakuzu didn't get the mission, but didn't have to as Pein explained the reasoning anyway. Apparently he had a bounty to collect in another nation. They had a day to prepare and would leave the following morning. She sighed as she walked from the office. At least she was getting more interesting missions then when she was when she was back at Konoha. After leaving, Sasori went back to his room and Deidara went to go relax. As she walked back to her own room, she wondered why they were sending Deidara. Sure Sasori would work, but Deidara's justu was loud. An assassination required stealth. She sighed, pondering her leader's reasoning.

The rest of the day was uneventful. No pranks, no 'training' exercises, and no surprises. She woke a bit later then usual the next morning. She knew for a fact that the following day she would have to get up early, so she allowed herself the extra time. She dressed in comfortable training clothing before leaving her room. After eating her usually small breakfast, she decided to get some training sat down on a chair in the kitchen. After thinking for a moment, she decided to ask one of the members to train with her. Back in Konoha, training with others was simply irritating. But in the Akatsuki things were different. She could expect a challenge. One question remained though. Who?

Her mind ran through the members. Itachi was out instantly. She didn't want to deal with the mangekyo, and genjustu wouldn't help her improve physically. Kisame was most likely still angry at her from yesterday so he was out as well. Zetsu was interesting, but he was out collecting information. That and there was also the fact that he might eat her. She didn't find the thought too pleasant. Her mind crossed the violent zombie twins. After mere seconds, they were out as well. She was still mildly irritated at Hidan, but his odd ritual fighting made her defense useless once he got ahold of her blood. It might be an interesting battle for a while, but she knew that his odd sadism would start to piss her off after a while. She recalled the fact that both Hidan and Kakuzu had their own mission to do soon. Kakuzu was also out merely for the fact that he would kill her regardless of the fact that it was a training exercise, which reminded her of the reason why Hidan and Kakuzu were partners in the first place. Kakuzu had a habit of killing his partners in the past, but since Hidan was an immortal, Kakuzu wouldn't have the choice to. She smirked recalling the various times Kakuzu promised to end Hidan's life one day.

Her mind ran through the remaining members. Excluding Pein and Konan, there were Tobi, Sasori and Deidara. Tobi was too hyper for her to deal with so she knocked him off the list. Now she was down to Sasori and Deidara. She would have picked Deidara, but he was probably resting up for the mission. Training for him today was out of the question. That left Sasori. Since he was technically no longer fully human, he didn't need to rest as much as Deidara would. It would also be a plus on endurance training. A puppet body wouldn't get as tired as a human's would.

She smiled slightly before standing and walking from the kitchen. She was rather glad her memory had allowed her to remember where the rooms were. The base, despite being extremely well hidden, was extremely large and complex. Still, it was nothing like the abandoned hideouts that had been left behind by the traitorous snake Orochimaru. She had once been assigned to help search an abandoned hideout. On If she hadn't kept track of where she was going she would have been lost within a minute.

She stopped in front of Sasori's door. She rapped her knuckles against the door gently. Inside, she heard some movement and after a moment, the door opened. Sasori peered out, his puppet Hiroku against the wall. Behind him, she saw a puppet lying on a work table. She had apparently disturbed his work.

He looked at her emotionlessly. "Is there anything you need, Ami-san?"

She nodded. "I was wondering if you would care to train with me."

His face did not change. Not that it had a wide range of expressions in the first place. "Hrm... Perhaps a bit later. I'm a bit busy at the time. Return later. Unless that is, you would like to assist me."

She pondered the idea momentarily. She wasn't exactly good with puppets. Then again, if she came back later, that would leave her with nothing to do in the meantime. "I think I'll stay and help."

Sasori gave a small nod before stepping back and opening the door wider, allowing her room to enter. There were bits of puppet strewn about the room. As a habit, Sasori tended to not bother cleaning up until he was finished with his work. That way, he didn't delay the completion of his work. There were also jars and pieces placed on shelves. The jars contained various herbs and liquids. There was one main shelf devoted to jars of a purple substance.

As she walked, she was careful not to step on anything, even if it looked like scrap. She made her way over to the table where he was working. There she found a variety of tools, some that appeared like average tools for carving, but others seeming like tools for medicinal use.

The puppet that he was in fact working on was opened in several places. It was face up on the bench. Its hands were placed to the side, its chest cavity completely opened. There were various compartments inside, some empty, others containing sebon or the purple substance that was in the jars. Upon further observation she found that the sebon were covered in purple as well.

"My special poison."

His speech nearly made her jump. As she had been looking at the puppet, he had already begun to work, fixing a chamber that was set in the lower arm and wrist. He placed a few spheres inside, before re-attaching the hand. The fingers were opened. He placed sebon inside of those. He looked up at her.

"Please do the same to the other one."

She nodded slightly and picked up the equipment from the table and began putting them in the other arm. She felt mildly honored that he was letting her help him. His puppets were what made him the ninja he was. She finished re-assembling the hand and waited for further instruction.

Next the worked on the legs, and after, the torso. Little by little, the puppet was re-assembled. By the time they were finished over an hour had passed. There were a few scratches and cuts on her fingers. Luckily, it hadn't been caused by any of the poisoned weaponry. If it had she wasn't exactly sure if Sasori would've even given her the antidote. She healed them quickly after, not wanting the poison to get into the open cuts.

Once finished, Sasori brought out a scroll and sealed it inside of it. More then likely, he wouldn't have need for it. Most of the time, he only used Hiroku. Not that he needed to use anything else. Hiroku usually brought the battle to an end quickly.

Sasori then opened a compartment in his own chest, placing the scroll inside. This only reminded her how he had distorted the once human form. He looked up at her, his expression blank as it normally was. "Are you ready to train?"

She nodded, smiling slightly to thank him.

"Then we will go to the training area." He walked over to a shelf and picked up another scroll. This one was far smaller then the one he had hidden away. Not bothering to put it away, he held it in his hand and walked to the door, waiting for her to leave before walking out behind her. He seemed to be against leaving her alone in the room, even for a few seconds. She didn't really blame him. He shut the door then walked ahead of her, following the path the the training room. Once they arrived, he walked inside and walked to the center of the large room. He opened the scroll and formed a seal. Three puppets appeared before him. They had a simple exterior and looked worn, as if they had taken a beating a few times.

"These are simply for training." He stated. "At times, our Leader has asked if I may allow the members to practice. Since these aren't members and they are unable to die, it was requested that they be used for such."

She nodded, understanding completely. Though, the fact that Sasori would be willing to tolerate the other members for any amount of time made her want to laugh. She knew how impatient he could be, but she knew that not listening to Pein would result in far worse then mild irritation at other members.

She was snapped from her thoughts when about ten sebon flew in her direction. A shield of chakra formed in front of her just in time to prevent them from hitting her.

"You asked me here to train, not so you could daydream, Ami-san." He said, looking at her with his emotionless stare. She saw his finger flick, and a second later, at least twenty more sebon flew at her. She dodged to the right and formed about thirty small spheres of chakra around her. At her will, about five of them changed shape into an almost crystalline needle. They shot at the the middle puppet, the one that had been firing the sebon. At the same time, the puppet to the right opened up and moved in front of both of the others. The chakra needles impaled themselves in the wooden shield. Moments later, they vanished, leaving shallow holes where they had hit. She frowned, knowing that the defensive puppet would make things more difficult for her. She was about to move forward when she felt something behind her. Her eyes widened.

The shield she formed was almost too late. The third puppet had struck at her with a blade. The blade ended up half inside of the chakra barrier, almost touching her skin. She found herself needed to exert even more chakra to maintain the barrier due to the fact that the puppet was still pushing through the shield. She darted away before releasing the barrier. Since the puppet had continued to push against the barrier, once it was released it flew forward, slamming into the ground. It lifted off of the ground moments after. As it did, she noticed a small crack on the head from the impact. She changed a few more the of the chakra spears to needles and shot them forward, aiming at the head. The puppet was able to move away from one, but the rest hit, one hitting directly at the crack. The chakra moved through the head and it shattered. She began to smile, but moments later it faded. The pieces of the head came back together, influeched by chakra strings from Sasori. She was about to fire more, when she heard a trigger release.

She jumped back, just barely missing the many sebon released from the other puppet. A spilt secon later, the other puppet flew at her again, forcing her to dodge to the left. Her eyes widened, realizing how close to the wall she had become. She knew that she would be surrounded in a moment, so she formed an entire barrier around herself and charged forward. Sebon and the blade from the other puppet clashed against the shield. She kept it strong however and pushed past. The number of chakra spheres that surrounded her grew less. She turned quickly, the shield around her fading. She looked back at the two puppets in front of her. The last one was more to her right. It didn't move, as it was currently not needed. She ignored it for now, focusing on the two ahead of her.

The puppet that carried a blade opened. A compartment opened on it's chest and she suddenly found kunai flying in her direction. Only a split second later, the other one began to open as well, but a few moments later, the compartment in its chest was sealed. The spheres of chakra she had left behind plugged up the mechanism. As she dodged the kunai, the mass of solid chakra broke up inside of the puppet, the various bits of solid chakra preventing it from working. Sasori made no comment, but released the puppet, letting it fall to the ground by a wall. Now there were two.

She looked at both of the puppets. The one that had earlier shielded the others moved closer to the one with the blades. She watched them, waiting for the next move. It didn't come.

She jumped slightly when the shadowy figure of Pein appeared before them. It ignored her, facing Sasori. "You are to report to my office immediately for an important solo mission. Ami and Deidara can handle the assasination mission alone." Without another word, he vanished.

Sasori turned to her. "I'm afraid I have to cut this little session short." With a flick of chakra strings the puppets returned to him. They were away within moments. "Goodbye, Ami-san." He said quietly before exiting the training room.

She watched him go, then she sighed, once again having nothing to do. _"At least that knocked off a few hours of the day..."_ She then walked from the room in boredom. "_Now to find a way to occupy the rest of it."_

**_End_**


	10. Just Another Day

Not much to say guys you guys except for the obvious.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Begin**

_After the dull excuse for a date she went back to her dull excuse for a home. It was always quiet and lifeless. Well, that was life. She walked to her room and crashed lazily on her bed. She stared at the ceiling. She felt like going to train, but at the same time didn't feel like moving from her bed. Life was proving extremely irritating lately, and now she had a completely insane excuse for an admirer to deal with. She sighed and rolled onto her stomach burying her head in her pillow. What was she to do? She knew that she had a few hours before her self-assigned bed time. She rolled onto her back again and closed her eyes, only to open them again a minute later. Someone was at her window. She looked as saw Rock Lee standing in a tree outside. She opened her window. _

_"Gai-sensei wishes to know if you would like to accompany us on laps around the village!" _

_He seemed as energetic and hyper as always. She smiled slightly at him. At least now she had something to occupy her time. "Sure thing Lee." She said as she stood. Then, she jumped from her window to the tree and followed him to where Gai was waiting for them._

_As much as the laps occupied her body, running really had no effect on keeping her mind occupied. It wandered in boredom from topic to topic. Gai and Lee took no notice of course and simply continued to run. She watched as the simple running exercise became a challenge for them and they attempted to beat each other to 150 laps. She simply continued at her pace. Sure it would be fun to race, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with them if they won or lost. If they won they would lecture her on how she needed to train more. If she won, she knew they wouldn't shut up on how **they**needed to train more as well. She couldn't win either way. At least if she kept her pace, she would be able to pull off the excuse she was admiring Konoha as she ran. Though, she knew even that might not be successful in stopping them from talking. That would only give them an excuse to rant about how wonderful and "youthful" the village was. She slightly wondered why she had even agreed to run with them in the first place when she knew it would only result in them making her ears bleed. After about 40 laps she stopped running. Unfortunately, running was a task that occupied the body, not really the mind. As least when you were only doing practice laps. On a mission, not paying attention to where you were running could cause you to fall into an enemy shinobi's trap or even accidentally hurt yourself._

_After finishing her 40th lap, she climbed up the stairs that led above the stone faces. She sat up there, looking down at Konoha. The sun was just beginning to set. She sighed softly, admiring the view of her home. _

_She had lived there for most of her life. The peaceful village where nothing could go wrong. Of course being a shinobi she knew better then that, but everyone, even the shinobiseemedtoignore the possibility of tragedy. Even when the third hokagediedtheystill remained ignorant. They mourned his death of course, but once peace had been re-established they simply forgot about what could happen. They moved on. In the corner of her mind, a voice wondered if the people even cared. _

_She ignored it. Of course people cared. They were simply ignorant. They cared. They would fight that point until the end. But once all challenge disappeared, once war, poverty, and misfortune ended, they would forget. She thought of the Uchiha. Even after his betrayal, he was welcomed back. His return was even celebrated. The prodigal son..._

_The sky grew darker. The amount of visible sun slowly decreased. The light being replaced with the artificial lights of the shops and homes. She saw her own, off in the distance. She looked down on a darkened area of the village. The Uchiha compound. After the massacre by the elder of the remaining Uchiha, it had remained abandoned._

_She saw however, that a single light shone from the area of dark. The younger Uchiha's sanctuary. She wondered how he could stand being in the place of his family's demise. Just as the thought had occurred, she heard a voice beside her._

_"Enjoying the view?"_

_Her fist shot out, only to be caught by the hand of the Uchiha. While her mind was wandering, he had sat down beside her. He was looking out at the village, just as she was doing. _

_She made no comment on his intrusion. Instead, she returned her arm to her side and looked back at the village. "I'm just looking at my home. Haven't you ever done it?"_

_He remained silent for a moment. "A long time ago. When the village was a real home." The normally stoic Uchiha face appeared mournful. _

_She spoke, looking at the village for a second, then turning to him. "If it isn't a real home anymore, then why did you return?"_

_He said nothing, his eyes remaining on the village. She noticed that his eyes would not wander his old home. Upon closer look, she found that he wasn't looking at anything at all. He was merely staring. She sighed at his lack of response and returned her gaze to the village. _

_"Perhaps I simply need to make it a home once more." _

_She looked at him again. He continued to stare out at the village. She smiled slightly, then did the same. "I hope you're able to. I hope you find a way."_

_It was his turn to smile. He looked at her. "I think I have found a way." _

_She laughed softly and shoved him gently. "Don't get all mushy on me Pretty Boy..."_

_For once, he didn't seem to mind the name. Instead of getting irritated, he shoved her back, only a bit harder. Not enough to hurt however. The slight Uchiha smile remained on his face. An amused expression that was almost playful. _

_She laughed again, a bit louder. She then pushed him again, harder then he had her. He smirked and once again returned it, the process repeating at least three more times. Finally, after the force behind the push grew enough to make her fall back, they both stood smiling in challenge. "First to the training grounds?" _

_The infamous Uchiha smirk crossed his face. Without responding he took off. _

_She paused only for a spilt second, her mind registering. Then she ran after him. "Oi! Wait up you cheater!" She pushed chakra into her feet to run faster, catching up to him within a minute. The entire time she was trying not to laugh, though eventually it shone through. She laughed at the childish race, neck and neck with the Uchiha. _

_He seemed to want to laugh as well, but he was far more successful in holding his laughter back. Instead, he would chuckle, a smile on his face. As she ran she noticed that it was more of a smile then she had ever seen on the Uchiha's face. It seemed genuinely happy. He looked at her in return, then grinned, picking up the pace. He ran ahead of her, and her eyes followed him. She could see the training grounds in the distance. She pushed more chakraintoherfeet and caught up, passing him. With a smirk, she sped up even more, reaching the grounds before him. She skid to a stop, and looked back. _

_Her eyes widened. The Uchiha was no where in sight. "Oi Pretty Boy! Where'd you go?!" She looked around puzzled for a moment when she heard the sound of air swishing. Kunai. She dodged by forcing chakra into her legs and jumping. Several kunaiplungedinto the ground where she had stood. A challenge. She landed with a grin. "Is that the best you got?!" _

_He appeared beside her, throwing a fist. She knocked his arm out of the way and sent her leg flying at his stomach. He blocked it with his free arm before sending his leg at her. Chakra surrounded his leg, holding it still. Then it pulled away, pulling his leg withitto knock him off balance. He flipped onto his hands, before flipping again to right himself. They stared at each other, both smiling, his being more of a playful smirk. _

_A spear of chakra formed in her hand, but she made no other move. She knew better then to act first. He pulled out his blade, leaving it at his side. She formed chakraaroundherand sent it flying at him. He dodged before running directly at her. The spear and blade collided with each other, coming to a standstill. Another spear formed in her free hand while she heard the chirping of the chidori forming in his. _

_She spoke, her voice threatening to turn to laughter. "I take it we're done as it seems we're at a standstill..."_

_He smiled at her, letting the chidori fade. At moment later, the spear in hers faded as well. He sheathed the blade in a swift movement as the rest of the chakra she had been using faded as well. _

_"Well, at least it was better then the first spar." She said, a grin on her face._

_His smile grew slightly, the Uchiha face that was normally so serious, actually happy. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He looked around as the last bits of light faded as the sun sank. "Perhaps it's time to go home. Would you mind if I walked you."_

_She laughed, beginning to walk with him beside her. "I hope you don't plan on being my shining knight. If you haven't realized, I don't need protecting."_

_He looked at her with an amused expression. "Of course not. I simply enjoy your company."_

_She shoved his arm as they walked gently, attempting to hide her smile.. "I'm starting to think you really are turning soft." _

_He laughed quietly. "It isn't my fault."_

_"Oh, sure. And what is?"_

_"You."_

_She looked at him, before looking away. She felt herself blush and she smiled. Leave it to the Uchiha to mess with her emotions. Damn that pretty boy. _

_She could feel his eyes gazing at her, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. He continued to watch her, for a while, but for the sake of watching where he was going, looked away. She was almost glad, using the opportunity to steal a glance at him. A small smile was on his face, not fading. She searched her mind for something to say to break the silence, but she found that she couldn't come up with a single thing. Her mind, which was usually filled to the brim with random thoughts, was calm and blank._

_She was saved however, when an obnoxious voice sounded. After it did, she somewhat felt that she would've preferred the silence. _

_"Oi Teme! Ami! Are you two going out or what?!" Luckily for the hyper blond, there was no one around to hear the question. Despite this, any signs of a smile on either of them faded and they both glared at him threateningly, causing Naruto to laugh. "You two really are alike! Man, you guys would make a great couple after all!" _

_The glares grew even more angry and Naruto flinched back. "Man, you don't have to get all angry at me for being honest."_

_Ami looked at Naruto directly in the eyes. "You have two seconds to shut your mouth, before I seal it myself."_

_Despite this, the irritating blond continued to laugh until he was forced to run away due to large fireball headed at him by an irritated Uchiha. He jumped behind a tree and his complaints could be heard, even if he had moved a long distance away. She heard him whine about his clothes being burned and then something like, 'Crazy couple trying to kill me.'_

_She couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "I swear his mouth is really going to be the end of him some day. Either that or eventually someone will find a way to shut him up."_

_Sasuke smirked. "I wouldn't be surprised if it were either of us who did it."_

_She grinned. "It would be me. There's no way I'd let you beat me in something, Uchiha."_

_He took note that she didn't call him 'pretty boy' and smiled. Uchiha was a step up at least. "I think we're almost to your house."_

_"Yeah, I guess we are." She looked at him, a small smile still on her face. He was growing on her slightly._

_"Maybe tomorrow we can do this again?" _

_"Heh... Maybe Uchiha. Not sure if I can deal with a stalker two days in a row... But we'll see." _

_He made no comment on the stalker comment. As she had spoke it there was almost a hint of affection in her voice. He didn't let it get to his head. _

_They stopped as they arrived at her house. "Well, see you tomorrow Uchiha." She gently punched his arm._

_He smiled as he figured this was her way of showing affection. "Tomorrow then."_

_She gave him one last smile, before walking inside. _

_The Uchiha remained there for a minute before turning and vanishing._

_**endflashback**_

Ami found the rest of the day to be event-less. She did nothing what-so-ever. She was glad at the end of the day to head back to bed. At least then she wasn't trying to find something to do. Before sleeping she made sure everything she would need was packed for tomorrow's mission.

The next morning, she praised her thought to pack ahead. Being that it was the morning, she was rather unwilling to do anything that required effort.

She ate a bit more then she usually would in the morning, then walked to Deidara's room to make sure he was awake. Finding that he was, she grabbed her things and waited by the exit of the base. He arrived shortly after her, having reported to Pein that everything was ready.

They exited the base and began their journey. Their location wasn't too far away, but they kept at a decent pace. The sooner they got back the better. As they walked, they took a few minutes to discuss a plan. They settled on one rather quickly.

For some reason, they rarely spoke after that. There just wasn't much to talk about. A few times one of the two would try, but the conversation would quickly die out. Ami didn't mind too much. The weather was peaceful so she simply listened to the creatures in her surroundings. Nature was one of the things she found was truly beautiful.

They crossed the border into the small nation. Unlike when a border was usually crossed, there was no one to stop them. Usually, there were a few shinobi on patrol, but seeing as how this nation had none, there was no one to protect the border. This suited her perfectly. No need to fight another battle.

Soon, they came upon the small village centered around a noble's mansion. It was obvious that this was the place they needed to be. She looked at Deidara and nodded. He formed a clay bird and sent it off to the outskirts of the village before setting it off. He formed a few more and let them fly about.

The people in the village began to scatter in fear, not knowing the source of their distress was already inside of the village. Any guards that were there, ran to find out what had happened. Too easy. Deidara remained in the village while Ami approached the mansion and entered. She nearly sighed in boredom. She had expected at least a little bit more of a challenge. _"Oh well.."_

She knocked out anyone she passed. Guards and servants lay passed out throughout the mansion. There was no point in killing them. She eventually threatened a servant into taking her to the location of the nobleman. He looked terrified for himself, but didn't seem too upset that she wanted the nobleman. He nodded swiftly and agreed to take her.

She was both amused and a bit saddened. No, not even saddened. She was disappointed in the figure that should've been looked up to. He must've been corrupt indeed for his people to not care about giving up his location to an obvious assassin. Oh well. At least it made her mission easier, and for that, she couldn't complain.

Once they arrived at the door, the man looked at her fearfully. "Please don't kill me Miss..."

She smirked, finding it entertaining that he called her 'Miss.' "I shall not. You are free to go." She waved her hand at him, dismissing him as one would normally do to a servant. He hesitated for a few moments, unsure how to react. This made her slightly irritated. "I said you are free to go imbecile. Now leave."

He wasn't sure if letting him go was a trap, but seeing her irritation he fled, preferringtoatleast try to get away and fail instead of staying with a woman who would kill him sooner. She watched him go, managing to not laugh at his cowardice. Instead, she turned to the task at hand.

The large, ornate door was sadly to be expected of a corrupt noble. It was covered with various design, embedded with various jewels and carvings. If someone were to attempt to sell all of the jewels, it would probably have raised enough money to feed a small village for at least a week. The greed was shocking.

After a moment of mentally insulting the man, she let her chakra forward, sensing the noble inside. She pushed the door open with the aid of even more chakra, causing it to swing forward. She could have done so without any, but the weight of the door would've made her have to continue to push until it was open, thus, making her vulnerable. _"Not that it matters.. There are only weaklings here."_ A little voice said in the back of her mind. She ignored her more rude self to look around.

Ami found the noble cowering against the wall of the well furnished room. A large door leading to a balcony shed a scene of the chaos outside. The guards were attempting to find the source of the explosions that rocked the village. The commoners simply fled indoors, trying to escape all of the chaos. Every so often another bomb would shake the earth, bringing even more panic. It was time she ended the pandemonium.

She pulled out a kunai and picked the man up by his expensive clothing. He struggled in vain to get free.

She raised the kunai to end it. She found however, that she was flying backward. In front of her intended target, was a masked shinobi. The chakra was blazing. She realized how well he must have been masking it. She knew to be wary.

She began to jump back, when she felt another presence behind her. Then another to her right, and a final to her left. She cursed mentally. She hadn't detected a single one of them. They each wore a mask, that was slightly similar to the ANBU masks. Each one was alike though. They were probably powerful mercenary shinobi. She forced herself not to panic. She was a shinobi, fearless.

Her target grinned, standing up straight and fixing his clothing. He smirked in a way that made her want to beat it off of him. "It's such a shame that a pretty female such as yourself would become a shinobi... Females are meant to remain at home and pamper men. "

"It's a shame that I won't feel any remorse looking at your dead body..." She glared at him.

His smirk only grew. "Hmm... You would be fun to break. Capture her alive. Try not to do too much damage. I'm sure if I wanted to sell her, the scars would be unappealing." He ordered, then turned at left.

No sooner then he walked out of the door, the shinobi sprang into action, sending ropes and chakra seals in her direction. she dodged by jumping high into the air. Her chakra stuck her to the ceiling. She dove back down, avoiding a barrage of kunai. As she came back down she sent her leg flying into the head of one of the shinobi. A somewhat loud crack was heard as his head was turned in the complete wrong direction.

One down.

When she landed they quickly encircled her, attacking all at once. She jumped once more, this time however, catching a kunai in her thigh. She landed away from them, almost to the wall and let herself fall onto one knee. The wound was luckily not that deep, so she pulled it free before forcing herself to stand. She blocked out the pain and focused. She needed to watch herself.

One on one, the shinobiwouldn't have been as much of a threat, but together it made things much more challenging. They fought together, their movements almost perfectly in sync with one another, acting as one powerful threat instead of a few weaker ones.

They stood in a like facing her. The one on the left made a few hand-seals. "Shadow style: Entombing Jutsu."

She barely escaped the shadows that came out of no where to consume her. He just managed to use her chakra to propel herself away. She landed on the wall, before springing away once more, the shadows following her.

Her mind flashed to the lazy genius from Konoha. He had used a similar attack on her once during the few times she actually trained with someone else willingly. At that time, she had nearly lost. Now, she was facing a real threat, not just some silly training battle.

_"And with three more powerful shinobi..."_ She added to herself, knowing that she couldn't let the shadows catch her. She vaguely wonder though if the group had the same ancestry as the Nara's.

She was pulled from her thoughts when a loud explosion was heard. It shook the house, startling both her and her enemy. It wouldn't have had that great of an effect it the bomb hadn't blown nearly the entire side of the building away. The wall opposite her was gone, as well as was anything on that side of the building. The ceiling above her mostly collapsed, forcing her to dodge the bits of rubble. The sky above was in clear view. Deidara's bird was circling the mansion.

_"What the hell is he doing?!! He could have killed me!"_

Her question was answered moments later when she saw shinobi fly forth from the part of the roof that had remained intact. They were firing countless jutsu at the airborne man, trying to bring him down. Some of them appeared to be using the same unusual style as her own opponents used. The rest, though were using normal styles, were using highly complex attacks. They were definitely high ranking shinobi.

Deidara was forming small clouds of insects, trying not to blow up any more of the building. Though they assisted in taking out some of their attackers, a large portion of them remained. He saw her as he looked down. "Find the target!! I'll handle them just get the mission over with!"

She noticed that his usual speech habit was absent as he yelled, making it obvious that he was slightly panicked. Neither of them had expected for there to be a shinobi attack.

She turned to her enemy and focused her chakra to her front, propelling a solid blast of chakra at them. It didn't do much damage, but it knocked them back, leaving them stunned. She darted from the room, beginning a search of the mansion. As she ran she formed spheres of chakra, then suspended them in the air. They formed and suspended directly around the shinobi as well, making it nearly impossible to get through without touching them. She stirred up the center if each sphere, causing each of them to become unstable. If the slightest thing touched them, the chakra sphere would burst.

She silently thanked the obnoxious blond shinobi from Konoha. The technique had been developed by watching him repeatedly use the rasengan, and had nearly the same result. She changed it to meet her needs, and now had an effective way of slowing down an enemy.

She ran on ahead, the hallway behind her now filled with the spheres of the detrimental chakra. There were servants strewn about, unconscious from her first entrance into the mansion.

Ami mentally cursed herself for knocking them out. If they were awake, she would have been able to threaten them into giving up the location of the noble.

She flung open doors, using both her eyes and chakra to scan each room for signs of life. All were empty. There wasn't many places in the mansion left to search.

She began to wonder if he had been in the side of the mansion that had been destroyed. That wouldn't pose well since they were required to bring the body back. She reached the last door possible and wretched it open. She was met with a downward set of stairs. It was mostly dark, and Ami struggled to see down the stairs. She was unsure if she should go down. If her target wasn't down there, she could be wasting her time. Even worse, there could be a trap set up.

Suddenly, she felt strong chakra signatures approaching. There were three of them. The three shinobi had finally gotten out of her trap. _"Damn.."_

She rushed inside and closed the door. She ran her hand quickly along the lining of it, sealing the door with chakra. She focused for a few seconds, another barrier appearing in front of the door. Unfortunately, she knew that if they kept constantly attacking it, the barrier would break. Luckily it would take a while though.

After she moved down the stairs, she reached a long hallway. It was extremely dark, but judging by the feel beneath her shoes, it seemed to be made of stone. She moved on, putting more distance in between her and the three potential captors. She silently prayed that there was another exit from the underbelly of the castle. Otherwise, liked she had feared earlier, she would be trapped.

As she moved forward, she began to see light up ahead. Normally, she would have used her chakra to scan the area, but using her kekki genkai to set traps used an extreme amount of chakra. She knew for a fact that she would be getting low soon. If that happened, things for her would be getting far more difficult. Cautiously but swiftly, she advanced, moving toward the only escape from the long hall.

She reached the end, moving into a large room that somewhat resembled another hallway from its shape. Her eyes widened slightly. The man had created his own personal dungeon. In the cells, she was able to see various prisoners. Some weren't even living anymore. Those that were alive looked at her with hollow eyes. They looked as if death had already taken them. She hesitated, wanting to move on, but unwilling to leave them behind. Seeing the people chained tugged at her heart. Ami cursed herself for her bleeding heart.

She grabbed a large key from the wall. It was the main key for all of the cells. Thankful that the cells didn't have individual keys, she ran to the nearest cell and unlocked it, before running inside and unchaining the prisoner. She repeated the process, running from cell to cell, releasing the hurting soul inside. For a large amount, it was far too late to be saved. Others, appeared to have only just been imprisoned.

These were the ones she barked orders to, instructing them to help the weaker souls from their cells. They did so swiftly. A few of them fled however, moving toward another hall at the opposite end of the large chamber. Despite the anger that they ran, at least she knew that there was a possible escape.

It took a little while, but soon, every cell was opened, the prisoners within now all trying to regain lost strength. She wanted to make sure they made it to safety, but she couldn't spare any more time on them, already having used up at least 15 minutes. She sped through the area, entering the dark hallway. Thankfully, there were more lights here then in the first hall and they provided a gentle illumination. At another time, she would have found the lighting rather captivating, but her current situation stole any charm that the simple objects held. She had no time to admire her scenery.

She continued to run on, the lights growing fewer in between. There were no hallways branching off of the main one, so she had no choice but to remain on her path. It seemed like a year had passed before the hall opened up again into yet another chamber, the exit on the other side, barred. This one however, was filled with strange and odd equipment. To her, it somewhat resembled a torture chamber. There were cells to the side as well, but inside, instead of people, she could see grotesque figures. Monsters. She stared at them in horror.

Many of them were still, appearing to be no longer living. Some, stared through the bars at her, but did not move. There were even some, that once they saw her, began to try and tear their confines to pieces. A few resembled humans. They stared out at her, some with despairing eyes, others with malice and hate.

Her mind flashed to the snake ninja that had been supposedly killed by the Uchiha. Many bases of his had been found by Konoha, but it was common knowledge that there were at least a few that still remained. _"Could this be an abandoned base...?"_

Ami didn't have long to ponder. It took only seconds, but she was surrounded by shinobi. Shadows wrapped themselves around her, pulling her to the ground.

_**end**_


	11. Powerless

**As another note, I am in the midst of preparing the next chapters. They shall be available as soon as time will allow.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Begin**

_Ami slept peacefully that night, more peaceful, she found, than usual. She woke rested the next morning. _

_She didn't speed through her morning routine as she normally would. Instead, she spent time enjoying the start of the day, taking time to make an actual breakfast instead of a quickly prepared shinobi meal. She sat at her table, wearing loose sweatpants and a loose silk shirt, which were the extent of her pajamas. Usually she wore a simple T-shirt, but most of them needed to be washed._

_As she ate, she though about the day before. What had posessed her to actually associate with the Uchiha. He was a prodigal son, given everything, even after what he had done. _

_This irritated her to no end, and yet, she found herself allowing the arrogant shinobi to gain entrance into her life. She almost cursed herself for being an idiot._

_Ami was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a knocking at the door. She checked the time. It was still only 7:57 AM. She stood, her plate of food in hand. She walked over to the door and opened it, peering out. _

_As if to taunt her for thinking about him, there stood the ever irritating Uchiha. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You are aware how early it is, right? How do you know I wasn't still sleeping."_

_He smiled, the same egotistic smile that he normally wore. "Of course I know, but the villagers seem to share a common knowledge that you often get up early. I was almost assured that you would be up."_

_She looked at him with minor annoyance. "Naruto told you I would be up, didn't he?"_

_Sasuke ignored the look, still smiling. "And at the same time, while being half asleep himself, threw empty cups of ramen at me." _

_This brought a smile onto her own face. "Typical Naruto..."_

_"Hn." The Uchiha's form of a laugh. Then, his eyes wandered to her attire, particularly her shirt. As usual, his expression couldn't be read, but the fact that he was looking at all made her snap her fingers loudly in his face. _

_"Oi, Pretty Boy, eyes up here." She pointed at her face. _

_"Hn. I was simply looking at the shirt."_

_"Well look somewhere else."_

_"It isn't my fault that you answered the door wearing that."_

_"Well, it isn't MY fault that you came to my house this early."_

_"Perhaps you should have changed at an earlier time. Shinobi are supposed to be prepared for anything at anytime."_

_Ami's eye twitched in irritated and she moved to punch him on the arm. He dodged swiftly, avoiding the blow. She gave him a dirty look. "What do you want this early, Uchiha?"_

_"I was thinking we could train since it seems you haven't done so yet."_

_She pondered for a moment, then nodded. She opened the door wider to allow him entrance. "Wait here while I change." She left her plate, with the remainder of her breakfast, on the table before walking up to her room. She changed into her usual training attire before returning._

_The Uchiha was casually sitting on the living room sofa, wearing an expression that seemed bored, but also calculating. It was almost a detached look. Of course, as was known, the Uchiha's had an infamous reputation for masking emotion quite well. _

_He looked at her appraisingly, then nodded. "Care to go now?"_

_She rolled her eyes, ignoring him for a moment and walking back to the kitchen table where her plate lay. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to finish my breakfast first. Care for anything?" Since he had come to bother her this early in the morning, she really didn't care, but she had learned at a young age that even if she was angry, she should at least try to be somewhat respectful to a guest._

_He smiled at her before shaking his head. "I'm fine."_

_She nodded, obviously pleased with the answer. She walked into the living room and inelegantly dropped onto a large armchair, opposite the sofa. She continued to take her time eating. She wasn't going to rush just because someone paid her a surprise visit and asked her to train. The Uchiha would just have to wait._

_He seemed contented to do so, in fact, even relaxed even more on the sofa to wait. Normally, she became extremely annoyed when people simply welcomed themselves to her things, but she made no comment. From what she learned of the Uchiha, he did things whether someone wanted him to or not, and though habitually she tended to always state her mind, she wasn't in the mood to deal with the pompous shinobi. _

_What was even more unusual then her not saying what she thought, was putting up with nuisances more then she had to. Naruto was a prime example. If he irritated her, she ditched him. With the Uchiha however, even though he aggravated her to no end, she found that instead of simply ignoring him, she actually put up with it or continued the aggravation by arguing with him. _

"I am definitely losing it..." _She thought to herself while finishing what was on the plate. She stood, walking into the kitchen and washing it before turning back to her, "guest." _

_"Alright Pretty Boy, I say it's about time that we get going. Sound good?" The tone in her voice made it clear that she didn't really want him to answer, so instead, he stood, waiting for her to lead the way to the training grounds. She opened the door for him and he walked out swiftly without a word._

_It seemed to her, that no matter what he did, he would continue to irritate her. If he spoke, it was usually something sarcastic or some other remark when what she really wanted, was for him to shut up. If he was silent, it was usually when she was actually _trying_ to get him speak, whether it be answering a question, or simply doing something to break an awkward silence. Currently, he was invading her life and he didn't even make a sound._

_She sighed quietly, annoyed and mentally exhausted by her own internal arguments. The day hadn't even began yet and for some reason she found that her mind was already tired of working for the day. Not bothering to try and get it to function again, she locked the door behind her and began walking toward the training field. _

_The Uchiha walked beside her, before moving slightly ahead, still not saying a word. It was then when she saw that the Uchiha lacked the blade he usually had with him. Even if they were only planning a small training session, it was unusual for him not to have it. She was about to ask why, but decided not to, finding that the calming lack of voices was enjoyable._

_Soon however, the pleasant calm feeling began to progress. Too much so. She felt exhaustion sweep over her and she accidentally stumbled, nearly crashing into the other shinobi. "Are you alright Ami-san..?" She heard him ask. _

_She attemped to answer, but found that her ability to speak had left her as well as her equilibrium. Her body slipped to the ground, unable to move. Her attempts to speak continued to fail and her eyes grew darker. One of the last things she felt was her body being lifted before the blackness consumed her._

_A decent amount of time had passed before she began to return to consciousness. She felt herself laying on a bed, and it took her a long while to realize it was her own. As reality faded back in, she found that she was back in her room, covered in her blanket. She was dressed in a long nightgown, her training clothes gone. Her vision was slightly fuzzy, but she ignored it._

_She sat up and attempted to jump out of the bed, when she felt a set of hands pushing her back down. "Are you insane Ami-san..? You just fainted and you are going to try and move?"_

_She still couldn't see properly, but she knew it was the voice of the irritating raven haired shinobi. Even if he had grown in her eyes, she still didn't really trust him. She began to protest and struggle when she felt another set of hands. One, easily held her still by her shoulder with strength that seemed somewhat inhuman, while the other hand was placed on her forehead, checking for a fever. Her guess was Sakura. The somewhat fangirl of the Uchiha that despite all that was done to her, she still refused to give up hope on the Uchiha._

_"Hold still so I can examine you." She heard the pink haired medic practically growl in irritation. _

_Ami calmed. Not for the fact that she was angering Sakura, but for the fact that despite the faults that Ami thought she had, she knew Sakura could be trusted. After all, like herself she had trained directly under Tsunade-sama._

_She lay there as she felt foreign chakra digging through her body. The feeling, she always found was annoying. To her, the feeling of the unfamiliar chakra was disturbing. She closed her eyes, finding it useless to keep them open when she couldn't see properly anyway._

_She was glad when the examination ended. She felt Sakura's hands move away from her and her ears picked up a faint scribbling. Sakura muttered something under her breath before she could hear footsteps leaving the room. _

_Ami felt the side of the bed sink slightly, someone adding weight. "Are you alright, Ami-san?" She heard the Uchiha ask. She opened her eyes and glared at him, finding that she could see much better, almost normally._

_"Oh sure... I'm feeling just fine and dandy. Of course I'm not alright. I just fainted for no damn reason." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and anger. The Uchiha ignored both her look, and the tone, but did comment on the sarcasm._

_"I was asking if you were feeling alright at this time. You can at least tell me that."_

_"How about you tell me how the hell my clothes got changed... If you tried to, I swear I'm going t-"_

_"I only brought you back here and contacted Tsunade-sama. She sent Sakura here to take care of you. Sakura did everything else." He said, interrupting her accusation. "I wasn't even in the room until a few minutes ago, when she let me back in."_

_She remained silent for a moment, wanting to snap at him, but knowing that it would be completely unjustified. She was angry that Tsunade knew she fainted, knowing it would make her seem weak, but she knew that trying to argue that fact would only make her look like a stubborn fool. After a moment, she looked away from him and muttered, "I'm feeling fine now..."_

_She knew she was still be stubborn anyway, but still did it anyway. She hated feeling weak. _

_The door to her room opened and closed, the pink haired medic returning. She expected her to say something about the location of the Uchiha, but as soon as the door opened in the slightest, his body almost instantly returned to where he had been standing. Sakura didn't even notice. _

_She walked over to Ami's bed, placing a clipboard down on the table beside it. "I don't know what happened. I can't find any reason why you would have passed out. There is nothing unordinary going on." _

_Ami turned her head towards Sakura. "So that means everything I do can continue as normal?"_

_There was a slight pause, which automatically told Ami she wasn't going to like the news she was going to hear. _

_"I'm sorry... I can't let you exert yourself too much." She paused again, knowing that if she spoke wrong, she would end up with an extremely pissed off patient. "As a shinobi, you have a duty to the village. If this were to happen again, during a misson, you would jeopardize both yours, and the lives of your team mates. Until we are sure it won't happen again, we're going to have to stop assigning you missions."_

_That did it. There was no way Ami could argue. Had Sakura said something about worrying about her well being, Ami would have never agreed, but Ami was a loyal shinobi. Even if she wanted to go on missions, if she was at risk of endangering anything beside herself, she just couldn't do it._

_Ami sighed, knowing she had no choice but to give in. She rolled onto her stomach and buried her head in the pillow for a moment, trying to ignore the two other shinobi in the room. She rolled back over in a few moments, the need for air getting to her. When Sakura spoke next however, it was enough to somewhat make Ami want to kill both them, and the Hokage._

_"Ami-chan, since you're sick, Tsunade-sama is going to have Sasuke look after you just in case you need help again." _

_Ami shot up quickly, glaring at her. "Are you insane?! Like hell I need someone looking after me! You better tell Tsunade-sama that she's lost her mind!" _

_Within a moment, Sakura had already used her massive strength to force Ami to lie back down. "This is Tsunade-sama's final word. You know as well as I do that trying to change it will get you nowhere. It will only end up making her more intent of doing it. So just shut up and deal with it." _

_Ami stopped moving, but continued to argue. She was angry beyond belief, and even though she knew it wouldn't turn out well, she kept it up. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not you, Sakura... I don't need some bitchy little Uchiha to watch after me, so just let the fuck go!"_

_A moment later she felt something prick her neck. After that she felt her strength slowly fading away. Her chakra was being drained. "As it seems you aren't going to listen, instead of letting you willingly take it easy, Tsunade-sama herself recommended that you be forced to. I will be checking on you occasionally. Try not to cause too much trouble in the meantime." With that, she turned and walked from the room, her ability to mask her anger astounding. _

_Sasuke returned to the bed, looking as emotionless as usual. "I'm sorry if you don't want me here." He had ignored the comment she made about him being a 'bitchy little Uchiha.'_

_She didn't want to answer him, but did anyway. Even though it seemed he was the most frequent cause of her getting pissed lately, her current anger wasn't directed at him. "It's fine, Sasuke" She mumbled. _

_If she could, she would have sealed herself in a bubble of chakra at that point, but because of Sakura, she no longer could use her chakra normally. She hated the feeling. Without her chakra, she felt weak. She suddenly thought of the irritating green clad shinobi. Lee was able to fight without chakra. She sighed, knowing that sulking would get her nowhere. She looked at the Uchiha, deciding if she was stuck with him, she should at least try to be nice. "Sorry for the attitude."_

_He nodded slightly, giving a slight, 'Hn', before reaching to the table beside her bed and picking up a drink. "Here, I made Ino get it for me. It's made to keep you healthy." _

_She looked at it for a moment, then smiled and took it. "Finally found a use for your fangirls, huh?" _

_She saw the corner of his mouth curve upward. "Perhaps..."_

_"Heh... Thanks Pretty Boy.." She said as she took a sip. It tasted like some sort of chilled fruit smoothie. To her surprise, she really liked it. "Wow... Not bad.." _

_"I tried it myself first. I wasn't sure if you would like it or not." _

_Ami continued to smile as she drank some more. "Well, it _is_ the thought that counts, right?"_

_"Hn. I guess it is..."_

**_Endflashback_**

Ami attempted to cut through the binds with her chakra, but they sliced through harmlessly.

She heard footsteps, and strained her neck up to see the source. It was her target, though at this point, she found that she couldn't even call herself an assassin.

"What the hell have you been doing here..?!" Her voice resembled a snarl.

He merely smirked. "Don't you like my lab...? It's somewhat second hand, but it serves its purpose."

This confirmed her theory about the area being an old base to the snake ninja.

She attempted to cut through the binds with her chakra, but they sliced through harmlessly.

She heard footsteps, and strained her neck up to see the source. It was her target, though at this point, she found that she couldn't even call herself an assassin.

"What the hell have you been doing here..?!" Her voice resembled a snarl.

Once again, he merely smirked. "Don't you like my lab...? It's somewhat second hand, but it serves its purpose."

This confirmed her theory about the area being an old base to the snake ninja. In response to him however, she spat at him as best as she could. "Go to hell.."

It missed him and he walked closer to her, stepping on her back. He dug his shoe into her skin painfully. She winced, but didn't make a sound. Instead, she focused on the vaguely noticeable explosions from her partner, far above the ground.

Irritated by her lack of response, the man kicked her side, causing her to gasp for air. Satisfied, he slowly paced around her.

"Poor little shinobi. Where is your strength now?" He kicked her again, leaving her once again, unable to breathe. She could vaguely taste blood.

She remained quiet however. She refused to give him any more satisfaction. He knelt down, grabbing her by her hair. One of the strange shinobi walked over, force-feeding her a tablet. Slowly, she felt her strength being sapped away. Her chakra was gone, as well as her ablity to even fight normally. She was defenseless.

He nodded to the shinobi, who then picked her off the ground. The shadows that restrained her dissolved. At that point it made no difference though. Whatever they had made her eat had disabled nearly all of her strength. It was almost like being paralyzed. She was slung over the shoulder of one of the shinobi, where she fell limp.

The exit in which had been barred earlier, was opened. Her captors moved toward it, her with them. She hung there, unable to do a single thing as she was carried away, leaving the town, and her partner, behind.

**DeidaraDeidara**

His bird swooped down, avoiding another attack. Through his effort he had managed to take out half of the shinobi attacking him. "Art is a bang, un." He muttered, before releasing a series of insects. He wanted to do more, but with Ami still down there, he had no choice but to be extremely careful. What was supposed to be a simple mission was turning out a disaster. In desperation, he sent out a bird to fly back to base. He wanted to reassure himself that Pein would send help, but there was too much doubt. Shinobi were disposable. He knew that. He just hoped that Pein's curiosity in their new member would be enough to save them.

**PeinPein**

Due to the speed of the bird, it arrived back at the base quickly. Pein looked it over, pondering what to do. He thought about it before looking at a masked figure. "What do you feel?"

Madara looked back at him, his sharingan eye blazing through the hole in his mask. "Do as you wish. I have no opinion save for making the village pay for misinforming us of the mission detail."

Pein gave a small nod, before making preparations to send help.

**DeidaraDeidara**

In the meanwhile, Deidara continued to fight, narrowing down the enemy numbers even more. It was difficult however, and he often found himself barely missing an attack. What made things worse was that he was running low on clay. When he ran out, things would become far more difficult. There was a section of his clay kept to the side. It was saved for a larger attack though, one that could potentially hurt Ami. That would be a last resort. He began to spend more time dodging then throwing attacks, knowing that he needed to bide his time until he knew that Ami was safe.

**AmiAmi**

What Deidara didn't know, was that Ami was far from being harmed by Deidara's 'art.' The long tunnel finally opened into the forest, far from town. After climbing a large staircase, a door in the ground of the forest floor opened.

They climbed out, and Ami was then blindfolded. Where they went from there, she didn't know. All she knew was that the next time she was put down, which was a long while later, it was in some sort of cell. She had gained back limited movement, but it was nothing that could help her. The only thing she could manage to do was remove the blindfold. To her dismay she found that it was too dark to see anything anyway, even if she normally had exceptional night vision.

As her movement returned further, she used it to explore the room. There was nothing, save for a matress in the corner, and a solid metal door. If she had been younger and less experienced, she would have been too stubborn to touch the mattress. As a wiser shinobi she knew that you couldn't let your pride get in the way of anything. She sat on it, leaning against the cold wall. For some reason, she couldn't guess what it was made out of, but she knew it wasn't normal. If it was she just might have been able to break her way out.

Time passed slowly, nothing to do. Multiple times she allowed herself to fall asleep, having nothing else to do. There was no point in forcing herself to stay awake. At least if she slept, she wouldn't already be exausted if she attempted to escape. Eventually, she began to felt pangs of hunger. She blocked it out as she normally would if she was on an important mission. Hunger would only distract her from her goal.

Often, she would check to see if she gained back the use of chakra. She always knew the outcome though. If her chakra use had returned, she would have been able to feel it without checking.

She continued to sit there, long periods of time passing. She felt like years had passed. She was about to go to sleep again when she finally heard noise. It was a door opening and shutting. She immediately turned to where her cell door was just in time to see it open. She covered her eyes, blinded by the new light.

**DeidaraDeidara**

Deidara was still fighting when he spotted a long cloak with red clouds rise out of the ground. Upon its head, was a large plant, shaped like a venus flytrap. Zetsu. Still avoiding attacks, he directed his bird down, letting the Akatsuki's main spy jump on. He landed on the clay surface, looking at Deidara as the bird began to rise up once more.

"You have done well to hold out, but we've scanned the area below."

**_"Ami isn't there. We found tunnels leading away, and signs of a fight. Apparently she was weaker then we thought and was taken."_**

"Destroy this place and begin to search for her at once. Pein is sending you help, but it will take a while since they are in another land."

Zetsu looked at him, hating his darker half for calling Ami weak. There was nothing to be done however, Zetsu had too much power over him. "Brace yourself, un."

He brought out his more powerful bomb, expanding it. He sent it hurtling at the ground quickly, directing his bird higher as to prevent himself from getting caught in his own bomb. "Art is a bang, un." He muttered, before his art shook the earth.

Though his enemies saw it coming, there was nothing they could do to avoid it. Deidara had made sure of that. One moment, they were attempting to flee. The next, the entire mansion and area around it was in ruins, reduced to rubble by the blast. Deidara waited for the smoke to clear before decending. Zetsu stepped off, rather glad to be back on the ground, where his true power lay.

"Follow us." He stated, before walking toward the mansion. He walked around a majority of the rubble, as Deidara directed his bird to fly above it. He passed the remains, and begin walking toward the trees. Zetsu stopped walking, then made a few handseals. Moments later, a long section of the ground collapsed, revealing what used to be a tunnel. It was deep into the earth however.

"Follow this to where ever it ends. It is where Ami must have been taken since there are no other ways out. If you find her, break her free." _**"If she is dead though you are required to finish the mission on your own."** _"That includes bringing the body back." **_"Make sure it's in once piece, otherwise it is of no value."_** "Make sure you are prepared. Even if we are sending you help, doesn't mean you shouldn't get ready on your own." **_"In other words, if you screw up, we aren't going to help you." _**"Now get moving." The greenery sealed around Zetsu's head, and he sunk into the ground, off to complete his own tasks. Sometimes, Deidara really hated him. Despite the lighter side being less cruel, they were both heartless. He turned to the pathway revealed by the two faced plant.

He was pissed at himself for not being able to help Ami, but he was even more pissed at Zetsu, who had been lecturing him like he was incompetant. Deidara knew there were those smarter then him, but being treated like a child honestly tempted him to hurt the misshapen spy.

He forced his temper away. There wasn't time for it. He needed to make more clay, and quickly. He began to follow the trail, knowing that he would be able to find the materials he needed on the way.

**PeinPein**

In the distance, the shadowy figure of Pein appeared before two cloaked members who had already been informed by Zetsu and were already heading toward the village. Pein's voice was scratchy and off. "You have your orders, correct?"

"Yes, Leader-sama." Spoke one voice, who turned toward the shadow with blazing red eyes. The other, who was a few feet away, gave a small almost cackle-like laugh. "We're off to play hero for the little children."

Kisame grinned, a face that most likely scared children, before stretching as he walked. He had a habit of being smart, not mentioning the fact that to him, Deidara, Ami, and even Itachi were children. At least by age. He knew their skills ranked them far above.

Pein ignored Kisame's remark, but nodded. "Very well. See that your mission is completed quickly." With that, he vanished, leaving the two alone.

**KisameKisame**

As soon as the shadowy Pein disapppeared, both Itachi and Kisame sped up considerably. They knew the urgence of the mission. If they didn't get there quickly enough, Ami and Deidara could die, and their mission would be a failure. Despite the fact that Itachi was intrigued by Ami, Kisame knew that if either of them died, he wouldn't care. Kisame himself however, did.

Deidara, despite his arrogance, amused Kisame, while Ami provided an atmosphere of her own. He knew, that even if he would get over it, he would miss both members if they died. _'Shinobi die.' _It was a fact well known by the blue-skinned man, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to prevent it. At least, to prevent one of his few sources of entertainment from vanishing.

**End**


	12. Lasting Memories

**I would like to thank Yuti-chan and This Little Lily for reviewing. If it wasn't for Yuti, I may have waited longer to update, but thanks to her loving reviews and eagerness to to read more, I felt more passionate about finishing the next chapter. Thankies!! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Begin**

_For the rest of the day, Ami spent most of her time lying in bed. It wasn't like she could do anything else. To her surprise, the Uchiha being at her house didn't irritate her as much as she thought it would. Even more shocking was the fact that she found him being there somewhat enjoyable. _

_Even though she was normally stubborn and tended to do everything herself, she found that she was actually content on letting the raven haired shinobi do things for her. She found that it actually increased her respect for him slightly. Part of herself was now assured she was going insane, while the another part had concluded that she was actually becoming more sane then she was. She wasn't sure which part to believe, so she ignored them both. A fact she did know, was that she argued with herself too much. _

_More then once, she asked Sasuke if she could at least try to walk around. She always got the same answer and excuse. "No. I'm sorry. That drug Sakura gave you could make you hurt yourself." __Like always, she would have loved to argue with him, but she knew he was right._

_Many times during the day, Sasuke attempted to rid Ami of her boredom. With her instruction, he managed to find old board games in her closet. They even went as far as to play hang man to rid themselves of boredom. Of course, they used mostly shinobi terms. Even if she was stuck in bed, she still wasn't going to completely let go of her life._

_Every so often, as promised, the pink haired shinobi stopped in to visit. Usually, she didn't say a single word. She simply checked Ami, wrote down some notes, and left. At least she didn't make things too miserable for her. Had Sakura been her younger self, she would have thrown a fit, which would have traveled to Tsunade about how nasty Ami was. Of course then Ami would have gotten chewed out by the hokage. Thankfully, Sakura was far more mature then that now. She could take an insult with dignity._

_After a while, she almost felt bad for insulting her. She refused to tell her that though. Like Sakura, she just kept her mouth shut. _

_Amazingly, she managed to remain in bed that day without going crazy. Towards the end of the day however, she began to get restless. What was she supposed to do during the night?_

_That question was answered when Sakura finally decided to speak to her. "This is my last check for the day. Sasuke will remain with you during the night, and I will be back to check on you in the morning."_

_Ami wanted to persuade Sakura to let her stay alone, but she knew that it wouldn't work. Especially since Sakura had been yelled at by Ami just earlier. Ami would once again, just have to deal with it._

_After Sakura left, Ami curled up on her side. She wasn't really in the mood anymore to spend time with Sasuke. He seemed to understand, cleaning up the boxes and putting them away, another way the Uchiha surprised her. She figured he was the type of person that was too proud to clean up for someone else. _

_She smiled slightly, letting her eyes close. As a shinobi, she could make herself sleep whenever she wanted, but for now, she remained awake. It wasn't as if she had anything to do the next day, so attempting to make herself sleep was pointless. It was only 9:00 PM, far too early in her opinion to sleep._

_She felt a slight dip of the bed as Sasuke sat down on the edge. "Would you like anything, Ami-san?" She found that his voice actually sounded somewhat compassionate._

_She felt the smile grow slightly as she opened her eyes, looking at him. "Thanks, Sasuke-san, but I'm good."_

_The corner of his mouth tilted upward into a smile, causing Ami to look at him questioningly. _

_"Hn. You called me Sasuke instead of a nickname." He said, sounding amused. _

_Ami laughed slightly. "I may have called you Sasuke, but to me your name will always be Pretty Boy."_

_Sasuke smiled, looking at her almost affectionately. Ami caught the look, but said nothing. He had definitely grown on her. She vaguely wondered if the hyper blond ninja was right about them possibly being a good couple, which, at that point, caused her entire self to doubt her sanity. She honestly couldn't believe she was actually thinking about that. To her, being worried about dating was completely pointless, so the fact that she was thinking about it, somewhat scared her._

_She rolled over, facing away from him. She refused to look at him anymore, trying to purge the 'horrible' thoughts from her mind. __She was sure that if the Uchiha knew her thoughts, he would laugh at her. If this has been anyone else this was happening to, SHE would laugh at her. Her own personality couldn't allow this 'weakness.' _

_Then, she froze, feeling a hand on her arm. She silently wished that there was someone else in the room. At least to give her hope that it wasn't him. But of course, it was. "Ami-san... I'm sorry that this happened to you. You are a powerful kunoichi. Better then Sakura, and I'd even push to say as good as our hokage."_

_She remained silent, but her heart felt like it was beating louder then a drum. She felt her face grow slightly warm. She was actually blushing. _

_Sasuke paused momentarily as if to wait for her to speak, before she felt the bed lift. She felt a faint glimmer of hope that he was leaving, but of course, her luck didn't allow it. He moved to the side of the bed that she was facing. "Ami-san.. Out of all of the young kunoichi in the village, you are the only one who contains the heart of a true shinobi..." _

_Ami attempted not to look at him, but he managed to catch her eyes. __Once again, she had no idea what to say. She was finally saved however, when a pair of figures crashed through her window. Luckily, it was somewhat open, preventing it from shattering. Instead, it was flung open completely. After a minute though, she wasn't sure if she would have preferred to be alone with the irritating Uchiha._

_"Ami-san!! I heard you were stuck in bed!" __Her eye twitched at she looked at the sudden intruder._

_Behind him, another voice spoke, his face mostly covered by a mask. In his hand, was an open book that he was reading, even as he spoke. "Naruto, why did you drag me along..."_

_Naruto looked at Kakashi. "Hey, you wanted to see if she was alright too!! __Oi Teme!" He yelled loudly, looking at the raven haired Uchiha, who at that point, seemed to want to kill him. "You two look real cute together!"_

_Ami now rolled fully onto her stomach, covering her head with a pillow as Sasuke scowled at him. Due to the lack of air though, she pulled her head out after a few moments, looking exasperated._

_"Naruto, maybe you should try actually asking if she was alright instead of harrassing them. They looked like they were busy."_

_Ami looked like she wanted to die. She groaned, before throwing a pillow at the masked man. Without even looking away from his book, he caught it, throwing it back. It landed on the bed next to her._

_Naruto was laughing at them. "Yeah, they were busy. They were busy being all mushy and making puppy dog eyes at each other."_

_More then anything right now, Ami wanted to hurt the blond haired ninja. Apparently though, Sasuke had the same idea. Although, unlike her, he could actually do something about it. "Naruto, I'm giving you three seconds, before I beat the living hell out of you."_

_"Aw... What's the matter Teme? I'm not getting in the way am I?"_

_"1."_

_"You can't really kick me out. This is Ami-san's house."_

_"2."_

_Kakashi actually moved his face away from the book. "I suggest you listen, Naruto."_

_"3." _

_Naruto managed to jump out the window before a fireball flew out after him. Now that the hyper ninja was gone, Kakashi walked over to the two. He placed his hand somewhat affectionately on her head. "Please feel better, Ami." _

_She spared him a small smile. "I'm a shinobi. Nothing can hold me back." She could almost see him smile through his mask. _

_"Good way to live by." He moved his hand, before walking to the window. He stopped at turned, looking back. "Oh, I almost forgot. Even though you may be doubtful of the future, taking chances may just change your life for the better. Sometimes, you need to question and re-think before making a decision. Things may just grow on you." Then, he was gone, probably off to read his book again. _

_She lay there, pondering his words. For some reason, even when he supposedly knew nothing, Kakashi had an odd way of giving advice that fit the situation._

_She looked at the Uchiha, who still sat on her bed. Despite her hate of him in the beginning, she found herself warming up to him, far beyond what she would normally allow herself to feel about another person. She sighed, closing her eyes as her head rested on the pillow. She was still laying on her stomach,_

_"Something wrong...?" She heard him ask._

_She shook her head slightly. "No. Just thinking..." She pulled her blanket a bit more around herself comfortably. _

_"Anything in particular..?" He asked curiously. _

_She smiled, shaking her head again. "Nah... Not really... At least nothing important..." She opened her eyes again, looking up at him. There was an almost fondness in her eyes. Kakashi was right. Things had grown on her, far more then she had expected. _

_Sasuke looked at her for a moment before smiling in return. "You know, you look rather beautiful when you smile.."_

_Ami didn't speak for a few seconds, making Sasuke think he said something wrong. Her eyes closed again. After a few more moments, she finally responded. "You don't look to bad yourself... I mean, after all... You are the pretty boy..." Her eyes opened and she looked back up at him, a smug grin on her face. _

_"Of course..." He said in amusement, acknowledging what she had called him, but now, instead of bothering him, he almost enjoyed it. For him, it was now more of a term of affection from the kunoichi than an insult. "But I'm more then just looks. That's just an added bonus."_

_"A bonus to what? Personally, I see nothing worth mentioning." __Ami laughed, teasing. __Sasuke frowned, pretending to be hurt, which made her laugh again. "Alright, fine. What did you want me to say."_

_"Three things. One, that I'm one of the best shinobi in the village." He said with a smirk._

_"Okay, fine." She said, giving in. __She rolled her eyes, but smiled, allowing him the small increase on his ego. That, and she was curious what the three things were. _"You're one of the best shinobi in the village. Next?"

_"You think that I'm a worthy opponent."_

_She laughed. "You are a worthy opponent." She stopped laughing, waiting for the last one._

_He smiled, his voice still happy, but it had taken on a far more serious tone. "And finally, I want you to admit that you are not completely void of emotion... And that you actually do have feelings for me..." He said, looking into her eyes._

_Ami's mouth hung open slightly as she stared at him. She looked away, her cheeks growing warm. "I.." She cut off._

_He looked at her, growing even more serious. "Even a powerful kunoichi like you knows that sometimes, being powerful does not mean being emotionless..."_

_"I know..."_

_He sighed, causing her to look back at him. "I had believed so at one time, but after a while I realized that I was wrong. And now, I'm proving even more that I was wrong, because of you.." __Ami turned her head, but he continued. "You're right about some things.. As a shinobi or kunoichi, you are supposed to prevent emotions from getting in the way, but as I've learned, being a shinobi means you should also embrace them to make you stronger."_

_"What makes a shinobi strongest is when they have something to fight for..." She mumbled, quoting something an old friend had once told to her._

_Sasuke nodded. "And now, it has been found.." He said softly. His hand gently turned her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "Ami-san... More then anyone else, I would like you to be the one I give my love to... I want you, to be my partner. Will you accept my offer..?" _

_Ami stared into his eyes, unable to decide what she should do. Her mind felt foreign to her. Saying yes, would be going against one of the main things that she believed in. It was a part of what made her who she was, and that person would have said no without another thought. But something wouldn't let her. Even as she attempted, her mouth grew dry. She couldn't. She remained silent, her mind swarming. Finally, she looked up at him with the answer, her decision made._

**_Endflashback---Ami_**

Normally, her eyes adjusted quickly to the light, but for some reason, it took her a few more moments then usual for the blindness to leave. Her eyes stung. Eventually, she managed to see. In front of her, was the man that she had been assigned to kill. Beside him, stood another man, but he was unrecognizable. She watched them, her face emotionless as she sat on the poor excuse for a bed. She let her eyes wander quickly around her surroundings, somewhat wishing she hadn't. The walls were a dark grey, and even with the light on, she couldn't tell what they were made out of. What bothered her though, was what was on them. In many various places, they were stained with blood. On the interior of the door appeared to be bloody smears. They looked like someone had attempted to claw at the door, but instead resulted in destroying their nails. It was truly a horrible sight. The only thing that didn't appear to be stained with blood was the mattress. It definitely not new, but it was obvious that it had been just added recently. Judging by marks on the floor, the old one had been dragged out, probably destroyed.

Except for the few brief moments she took to look around, she kept her eyes on the men. It was foolish to take your eyes off the enemy. She said nothing though, waiting for them to speak first. At least then she would be able to try and assess what she was in for. She silently wished that she had regained more movement, but even though she wasn't completely immobilized, she still couldn't do much.

The newer man walked forward. She expected him to speak, or insult her. What she didn't expect was what happened. His hand slammed against the side of her head, sending her crashing to the ground. She managed to hold back a cry of pain. She gritted her teeth as she felt another blow on her stomach. She gasped momentarily for air.

She could hear a snickering voice as her attacker sneered at her as well. Her captor stood away from the walls, watching her. It was obvious that he found the place disgusting. As another blow sent her against the wall, she could hear him mocking her. "Poor little kunoichi... You thought you could be a shinobi..." She became dizzy as another blow knocked her down. "You will learn that there is no place in the world for pathetic little girls..."

She attempted to block herself from the pain. She knew they were trying to break her. She focused all her efforts on ignoring him. She knew that if she did, she may be tempted to come back at him. If that happened, it would only bring more, unessesary suffering. She remained silent.

To the resentment of her captors however, she also refused to let out any sign that she was in pain. To them, the act of defiance was just as bad as actually coming up with a retort. She was picked up by her throat and slammed against the wall, held there as she struggled to breathe.

Her vision was blurry, but she heard footsteps as her captor approached. He stood in front of her, smirking. "No matter how hard you try, or what you do... You will never succeed.." She felt a prick on her arm, before she was dropped. She lay there, struggling to breathe again.

Her vision slowly returned, just in time for her to see them walk out. She looked at the door, obviously confused. Her answer didn't come. She lay on the matress for what seemed to be at least fifteen minutes. Then, it began to open again. She waited to see who it was, but when she saw, her eyes widened. "D-Deidara...? How did you get in here?"

The blond shinobi walked over to her, smirking. "Pein sent me, yeah... He wanted me to tell you that you failed. He wasn't happy when he heard you had gotten captured."

Ami stared at him. "What does that mean...?"

"It means that you've become a burden and a liability. You're no longer useful."

Her eyes grew wider as she looked at him in shock. "Why did he send you here...?"

"To kill you before you can compromise us..." He pulled out a kunai and walked over to her, holding it to her throat.

"No... This isn't real..." She knew it wasn't. It couldn't be. "You aren't real..." She had to be stuck in a genjutsu. She attempted to release it, but nothing happened. She felt the metal dig into her skin, blood dripping down. He looked at the kunai, bringing it away to look at the blood that covered it. Once again, she was held against the wall by her throat, losing her ability to breathe.

She then felt the point of the kunai digging into her stomach. Her back was pressed against the wall harshly, as the hand tightened, taking away any remaining oxygen she had. "Now die.." He said as he stabbed her.

She let out a choked scream, feeling her own blood flow. He stabbed her again, causing her to writhe in pain. _"This isn't real! This isn't real!!!"_ She screamed at herself, but she couldn't break free. The pain said it was real. She felt herself fall to the ground, slowly bleeding to death.

Her captors watched her laying unconscious on the ground. She was clutching an invisible wound, screaming. One held an empty syringe in his hand. Its contents had been used. Without another word, they left, leaving Ami to suffer in her mind's horrible creations.

**Deidara**

Deidara hastily re-stocked on clay as he followed the path to Ami. He didn't know how much time he had to save her, so he had to hurry. He also didn't know who Pein had sent after them, so there was no point in stopping to plan. He would just have to improvise. As he moved, he began to mold his clay ahead of time. Nothing too powerful. Since this was a rescue mission, he needed to ensure his attacks would only be enough to destroy their intended target, otherwise, there was a chance he could hurt Ami.

He tried to not think about that as he moved faster. Eventually, he came upon an end to the trail made by Zetsu, and was forced to use whatever skills in tracking that he possessed. Apparently, one of the party wasn't skilled, so he was able to track slightly easier then he thought. He moved as quickly as possible.

A while later, he received a message from Pein that his backup was almost there. Before he could ask who though, Pein vanished. Apparently he was too irritated by the entire situation to bother. Deidara was smart enough not to attempt to push him.

Finally, he came upon what appeared to be a large base. It was nowhere near as tall as the mansion had been, but it was by far larger. He entered unseen.

He knew that he should wait for his backup. He was a long ranged fighter, and this place didn't allow him to use a variety of his attacks. Despite this he continued on, not allowing himself to keep thinking about it. The only thought on his mind was Ami. Thankfully, the place seemed mostly abandoned, which meant the change of discovery was less likely.

After a while of searching though, he began to doubt if he had found the right place. His doubts were erased however, when he began to hear screaming. It wasn't close, but he began to attempt to find the source. Slowly, as he neared, the screams grew louder. He had to stop however, when he heard footsteps. He darted into the shadows. Moments later, two men walked by. He tried to listen to what they were saying, but it wasn't clear enough. They were laughing about something though. When they were gone from sight, he walked down the hall that they came from. When it finally ended, he came to a series of doors. The screams were coming from one of them. He looked around swiftly to find the keys. His search was halted however when he had to swiftly dodge a fist. The guard threw another one at him, forcing him to duck. He sent his leg at him, catching him in the side. In a few more blows the man was down. Deidara searched him, finding that he didn't have a key.

A stream of curses, fell from his lips, and he began debating if he should blow the door open. He was glad when the need was taken away from him. Two figures walked from the hall. He prepared to fight them, when he heard a cackle from one of them.

"Having difficulty?" The blue-skinned man asked as his face became visible. "Of course not, yeah. But you're welcome to take over."

Kisame grinned, raising his Samehada before obliterating the door. Deidara ran in. It took him only moments for his heart to sink. A female was writhing on the ground. Though there appeared to be nothing wrong with her, she looked like she was in agony. Despite her suffering, that wasn't what worried Deidara. What worried him was that it wasn't Ami. "Check the other rooms!!" He yelled.

Kisame nodded and swiftly began to do the same to the other rooms. There were people in a few, but the rest were completely empty. None contained Ami. He cursed loudly, before taking back off into the base.

**Itachi**

While Deidara and Kisame searched, Itachi walked confidently through the base. He recognized it, having been there before on a mission. He knew where the rest of the prison cells were. He didn't tell the other two, because he knew if he did, they would make things more difficult. Or, at least, Deidara would. When he reached the other cells, he found his purpose for being there. Ami lay in the cell, writhing in pain like the other woman had been. He was about to pick her up, when she began screaming at an invisible figure. He let his curiousity take hold. He stood, watching and listening to her.

**Ami**

She knew that none of what was happening to her was real, but that didn't stop the torture. Slowly, the faces of her allies passed by her. Each brought more suffering. After Deidara it had been Sasori. Then Hidan and Kisame. Then, she saw Pein and Konan. Each, did all in their power to prove to her that she was useless. Her body felt horrible. She was bruised and bleeding. Even despite this, the torture continued. After the Akatsuki, came those from Konoha. Tsunade, Naruto, Kakashi. All to bring her more pain. The last face was the worst.

She lay gasping on the ground when she saw the door open again. A figure stepped in. His eyes were blazing red, and his hair was raven black. He glared at her coldly. She attempted to wriggle her body away, but it was useless.

"No...! I killed you! You're dead...!"

Sasuke smirked, walking over to her. "No.. You didn't kill me. You were too weak to kill me. Don't you remember?"

Ami shook her head quickly. "NO! YOU'RE DEAD!!" She attempted to strike him, but her wrist was grabbed and squeezed painfully.

"You are a failure... You should have just given in when I told you to. You wouldn't be suffering now..."

Ami let out a soft whimper, trying not to think about the past. The still rational part of her mind gave up trying to keep reminding her that it was only an illusion, instead focusing on trying to keep the memories away. "Please, go away, Sasuke..." She begged softly.

"Ami... I'll never go away. You know that... I promised you, didn't I?"

"You bastard. Go rot in hell where you belong."

Sasuke smirked. "Can't you see Ami? You are in hell, and the sooner you come to accept it, the sooner the pain will stop."

"Please.. I'm sorry."

"It's too late Ami... If you had given up, you would be alright. Such a pity.." He said, almost saddened. Moments later, she screamed in pain once more as she felt his blade run her through.

**Itachi**

He watched Ami's suffering with interest. He hadn't really cared until he heard his brother's name from her lips. He listened to her without a word. Finally, he walked over and picked her up slowly. He attempted to wake her for only a moment, before giving up. He didn't have the time for it. What he needed to do was get an antidote before she became fully insane.

**Kisame**

Though Deidara had ran off on his own, Kisame followed him. Since Deidara was a long ranged fighter, Kisame knew that he would have difficulty if he was trapped. Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared beside him. It was Itachi. "I've found her... Finish the mission assigned to them, before leaving. She's been poisoned with something. See if you can find an antidote or a sample of the poison."

The figure vanished. As usual, Itachi lived up to the Uchiha habit of not speaking much. He stated the simple facts, before moving on.

Kisame sighed, running faster to catch Deidara.

**Deidara**

Deidara was frantic by now, though he was attempting to hide it. So when he suddenly heard Kisame's voice, he nearly jumped.

"Itachi-san found her. Ami-san is safe."

Deidara skidded to a stop, as Kisame relayed the entire message. His hands balled into fists as he cursed, causing Kisame to grow serious. "You need to get ahold of yourself. You're going to end up putting everything at risk by letting your emotions getting the better of you."

Deidara forced himself to calm down. "Let's just find that damned bastard, yeah..."

Kisame nodded, before they both took off. Now, Deidara began to prepare far more clay. As they ran, Kisame used his Samehada to tear down the ceiling. Since the building only had one floor, the hallways were opened to fresh air. Normally, he would have been far less destructive, but in doing so, he allowed for Deidara to fight as well. Deidara jumped on a clay bird, flying above as Kisame destroyed the roof as he ran.

Slowly, the inside of the building became visible to him. He knew they had to be quick though. The longer they took, the less Ami's chances were. He made that clear by swooping down and yelling at Kisame. The man stopped, before changing direction. He knew it would be risky, but he was going to try to wash them out.

Deidara watched as his hands flew through various seals. Then, he shot forward water through the halls. It was enough to create a large lake. It flowed through the halls rapidly. Anyone caught was dragged with it. Finally, he allowed the water the flow out. When it did, a few men came with it. Two were bloody, apparently having hit sharp objects when the building was flooded. Another two were unconscious, but the last one was awake, gasping for air. Deidara wanted to kill him then. He was the one who had taken Ami. He knew there was a job to do though. He let Kisame take care of it though. He didn't trust himself.

The blue-skinned man grabbed him slamming him down. He grinned, making sure that every one of his sharp teeth was exposed. "Now... Tell me.. What poison did you use on our young friend... Be quick, and we may spare your life..."

He didn't struggle, terrified. "I-I don't know what it's called. It was given as a gift to me f-from Orochimaru-sama before his death."

Kisame looked irritated. "Where is the antidote for it..?"

"I-I don't have one... I-I only have the toxin." He attempted to reach into his clothing. Kisame grabbed his hand, doing it for him. The syringe was still in one piece. "Well... look at this..." He nodded to Deidara, before letting him go.

The man looked relieved. He was about to scramble away, when Kisames leg collided with his head, causing his neck to snap. "And they consider us filthy scum..." He muttered.

Deidara flew down, letting his bird grab the body to bring it back. Itachi walked over, holding Ami. She was shaking. He wanted to grab her as well, but was stopped by Kisame. "Get back to base..." He handed Deidara the poison. "Take care of it. Sasori should be back from his mission by now, so you are to give it to him, then the body to Leader-sama. Sasori can examine it. If we're lucky, the antidote will be ready by the time that we get back."

Deidara gritted his teeth, but took off. He knew that him going first was logical. He just hoped that it worked.

**End**

**I would like to give a special thanks to my friend Dan, who sat next to me as I typed yelling random ideas. Surprisingly, most of them I really liked and added them, like the sudden appearance of Naruto and Kakashi in the flashback. He also gave me the idea for what kind of torture Ami went through, so there's a BIG thank you to him.**

**Please review everyone! It inspires me to write more and tells me whether you like the story or not, and again, if you see any errors, feel free to yell at me about them. x3**


	13. Acceptance

**_Hey!! I would like to thank my new readers for reviewing. When I checked my reviews, I noticed new people. There was Yuti-chan, who has kindly reviewed all my chapters, and three new people. PhoenixBreaker90, JB ChicK, and watergoddesskasey. I also had one anonymous, Miiranaa. This chapter is for all of you. _**

**_Also, just recently, two people have guessed what Sasuke actually did. (gives two readers cookies and candy) Yay for you. _**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._**

**_Begin_**

_Her mind was still somewhat fuzzy, but she finally opened her lips. "Yes..." Her eyes remained on him. Though she somewhat hated the decision she was making, at the same time, she knew her own childish narrow-minded stubborn attitude was just as pathetic as the irritating fangirls that she despised. _

_Sasuke smiled, almost warmly. "Thank you for the chance, Ami-chan.." __She noted slightly that he used -chan instead of -san at the end of her name, but she made no negative comment. It was strange to her, but not as strange as her actually agreeing to be with him. Once again, she found herself doubting her sanity, but then again, she had been doing that a lot lately. _

_"You're welcome, Sasuke-san..." _

_Sasuke chuckled. "You don't have to say -san anymore you know. There's no real need to be formal."_

_Ami smiled slightly, the statement allowing them to prevent an awkward silence. "Okay, maybe I should call you Sasuke-teme like Naruto-kun. Or Sasuke-bozu.." **(A/N -Bozu is an affectionate term for addressing a child.)**_

_Sasuke frowned slightly. He didn't look irritated, but was obviously not happy by her choice in honorifics. To her, it was almost like looking at a dog, who was struggling to get a treat from the hand of its owner. This made her smile fully._

_"Fine... -kun it is then, but don't expect me to be all sentimental in public. And I swear if you get grabby, and someone else sees it, I'm going to kick your Uchiha behind, got it?" She asked, trying not to laugh as she threatened him._

_Sasuke smiled, looking her directly in the eyes. "Of course not... As an Uchiha I have a reputation to honor." He said, almost teasing._

_"Hah! Let me guess, your reputation is like mine. Uncaring and aloof is the way to live."_

_Sasuke chuckled. "No, I was thinking of possessing a greater sense of decency. I meant being respectful, loyal, polite, caring and loving."_

_Ami looked at him, a bit more seriously, but still joking with him slightly. "Well, I'm not sure if stalking a girl is considered being decent, but maybe I could cut you some slack. After all, like me, dating really isn't your specialty."_

_"That would be appreciated." He said with a small smile. "Though, I'm still surprised you said yes."_

_"Yes, well, I guess I'm just a surprising person." _

_He smiled further, looking at her. "Then I guess I am as well."_

_She looked into his eyes for a short moment. "I guess that you are..."_

_"We are." He said softly, causing her to look into his eyes again. Her face seemed peaceful. The words, though not particularly romantic, for some reason reached her heart. The feeling, though not unpleasant, was unusual for her. At this point though, it no longer bothered her. The occurrence of the unusual, was now usual. __In her mind, she was beginning to think that being with the Uchiha, wasn't as bad as she had first thought._

_"We are..." She repeated, just as softly. She spared him a warm, emotional smile, one that was rarely seen on her usually uncaring face. The Uchiha's attempts at gaining her as a partner was over. He had succeeded, gaining both her respect, and her affection, something that was not a common event._

_What happened next shocked her, but seemed expected at the same time, which, had she been thinking normally, she would have scolded herself for feeling like the definition of an oxymoron. Sasuke leaned forward, slowly, placing his lips against hers. _

_The kiss lasted only a few moments, but for her, the seconds passed slowly. When it ended, his face remained close to hers as he looked into her eyes. Partially, she wanted to look away, but to her dismay, her own eyes seemed to be sealed to his._

_She felt his hand touch and bind with her own, before he brought it to his lips, and placed another gentle kiss on her, almost as a gentleman would. She was sure he was testing his limits with her, but she barely paid attention. At that point, her mind had become dazed. He kissed her forehead._

_"I would ask if I could stay here with you, but I feel I know the answer already. Of course, you have my promise I would do nothing to you, but if you would prefer it, I will leave you to your rest." _

_"No..." She said after a moment. "It's alright, you don't have to leave..." Her voice was soft, expressing clearly her unusual current state of mind. Had she been in a normal state, she would have been currently cursing herself._

_Sasuke smiled, allowing his legs up onto the bed, sitting up against the headboard. Slowly and tentatively, he pulled her closer, allowing her to lean up against him. She made no protest, letting her head rest on his shoulder. To her pleasant discovery, it was extremely comfortable. She allowed her eyes to close, slowly relaxing. Being so close to him, she found that he had the scent of the training fields. It was an enjoyable smell, a mix of the fresh grass, and the water nearby it. She also could faintly smell the light metallic scent of shuriken and kunai, as well as a faint scent of fire. Him being a shinobi, as well as one that used fire, told her where the smell had come from. Though many she knew didn't like the smell of a shinobi, it was calming for her when she was at rest. _

_She let out a soft sigh, curling up a bit more, contradicting her normal behavior of keeping a distance to others. __After a minute, his arms encircled her, but she was now too comfortable to find fault with the action. His lips brushed the top of her head. In response, a small smile formed. She knew he probably couldn't see it though. It didn't really matter. __Seeing the change in his 'arrogant' personality made her smile regardless._

_She opened her eyes to look out of the window. It had gotten dark. What a strange day it had been. They slipped closed once more. Only a little while later, she felt sleep take hold of her._

_When the next morning came, she found that she was unusually, but pleasantly warm. After a moment, she became aware of the reason. She was curled up to the Uchiha, and was currently wrapped in his arms._

_"Good morning, Ami-chan." He said, an almost loving tone in his voice._

_Surprisingly, it took a large amount of effort not to blush. "Good morning, Sasuke-s -kun..." It felt strange that she was calling him, or anyone for that matter -kun. She usually tried to keep things far more formal with the people she knew. But he was her boyfriend now. She couldn't call him -san._

_"Did you have a good sleep, Ami-chan?" _

_She nodded slightly, giving him a small smile as she teased him. "Actually yes, considering there was someone taking up all of the room on the bed."_

_He rolled his eyes. "This bed is large enough for three of me to sleep, and even then, there would still be room for you."_

_"Are you sure? If you were any thinner, the bed may be able to five of you." __She laughed slightly, turning his own defense against him._

_"Just because I don't look like Choji-san, doesn't mean I'm overly thin. Now, if you want to go there, think of Ino-san. At least I look like I eat."_

_She couldn't help but agree with him. "True, true..." She said while laughing again. _

_He smiled, his point being proved. He checked the time. "Sakura is due to be here soon. Would you like me to get you something to eat before she arrives?"_

_Ami sighed, before nodding. "If you would like." She also didn't want him to be in the bed with her when she arrived. She could only imagine how the pink haired kunoichi would react._

_Sasuke nodded and gently let go of her, resting her head on her pillows. "I'll be back soon..." He said to her before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips, one that caused unfamiliar emotions. He then left her to her thoughts. _

_Mostly, she was rather confused, confused about how she had let herself change so much in such a short amount of time. Were the changes bad? If she had asked her old self that, the answer would have been yes. After all, she was rather stubborn. If she asked those around Konoha the same question, her answer would have probably been no. Despite the general respect she received, she knew that many of the people in Konoha didn't find her very likable. She knew that it was probably her own fault as well. __But what did her current self feel about all of the changes? After a moment of debation, she found that her current self was having difficulty finding the answer to the question. She still felt that it wasn't all good, but at the same time, another part of her was arguing that the changes were all for the better. It was neutral still. After a few moments, she gave up. She would just have to settle with remaining neutral until she could make up her mind. __She was pulled from her thoughts when there was a gentle knocking on the door. _

_"Come in." She called._

_The raven haired male stepped in, carrying a tray of food. On it, she could see a plate with pancakes, syrup, and butter. On the side of it, was a glass of orange juice. She couldn't help but smile at him. "Breakfast in bed. Maybe you really are a gentleman after all."_

_He smiled back at her. "Didn't we already have this argument? I thought you felt I was better than you thought."_

_"Maybe."_

_"Only maybe?"_

_"Alright, you are. Happy?"_

_"Extremely." He said as he sat down on the bed. She sat up and he placed the tray on her lap carefully. "It's still hot."_

_"Thanks, Sasuke-kun..." She said, before picking up the fork and beginning to eat. He then got up and sat in the chair by the bed. _

_Later, when she was nearly done eating, she heard footsteps. The pink haired kunoichi walked into the room, not bothering to knock. "Tsunade-sama says that you may leave your bed, but you are not to train, or participate in missions. If you are caught attempting to do anything strenuous, she ordered that you be confined to your bed once more."_

_Ami sighed, but nodded. It was better than nothing. She was actually mildly surprised that Tsunade-sama was letting her do even that. _

_For a moment, she could have sworn that Sasuke looked disappointed, but after a second look she concluded that she was imagining it. She looked at Sakura. "So as long as I don't stress my body, I have freedom?"_

_Sakura nodded. "If you want to say it that way, sure."_

_Sasuke looked at the pink haired kunoichi. "And what does she say for me?" _

_Sakura's face became slightly irked, but she tried to not show it. "Tsunade-sama says you are to remain with Ami-san during this time. This will also count as a mission. Your job is to moniter and ensure that she herself is following orders. She says if either of you object to this, you may take it up with her personally."_

_Sasuke nodded. He didn't bother telling Sakura that it wouldn't be a problem at all. "Thank you."_

_"You're welcome." She said, her voice detached. It was obvious that she wasn't too happy, but she didn't say a word. "Do you need me for anything else?"_

_Ami shook her head. "No thanks." _

_Sakura nodded, before walking to the door. He paused for a moment however, when Saskue spoke. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. You've been a big help." He said, sincerity in his voice._

_She turned back to him, almost smiling. "You're welcome." She said before leaving. _

_Ami turned to Sasuke. She knew that what he said had eased some of the tensions between the trio. "So, what do we do now?"_

_Sasuke paused for a moment. "I guess we would be doing whatever you wanted to do."_

_Ami laughed. "If we were doing what I wanted to do, I would be training right now. I don't think that would make Tsunade-sama too pleased." _

_Sasuke couldn't help but letting a smile form on his face. "Alright then, I will come up with something." He pondered for a few moments. "How about a date? I figure it's approprate since we are now technically dating."_

_Ami looked at him, trying not to laugh at the sudden request. "Sure, I guess that would work." _

_He smiled at her acceptance. "Should I leave you to get dressed then?"_

_Ami smirked, trying not to roll her eyes "Yes Pretty Boy, you should."_

**_Endflashback Deidara_**

He flew to the base at top speed, panic clouding his mind. He almost forgot to land a distance away. He did however, before running the rest of the way. His bird followed behind him, carrying the body he was assigned to bring back. Once at the base, he pulled the body from his bird and carried it over his shoulder. This only suceeded in stressing him more, due to the fact that he wasn't exactly light. He was just grateful the man wasn't obese.

He barged into Sasori's room, successfully surprising and pissing off the redhead.

"Is there a reason for this, gaki? I've already heard of the situation, but I promise that if you should intrude without permission again, you shall find yourself even worse than our newest member."

Deidara glared at him, wanting more than anything to blow the arrogant puppet to bits. He pulled out the poison. "Just take it."

With a flick of Sasori's finger, a puppet arm that lay on the table reached out and took it from Deidara. He took it into his own artificial hands. "I shall see what I can do, now go complete your mission." Sasori turned to his work table, letting Deidara know that he was done talking.

Deidara wanted to stay, but he knew that if he did, Sasori might follow through with his threat of hurting him anyway. That, and Sasori was right. He had a mission to complete.

He rushed to see Pein. Truthfully, he knew it was pointless to rush, but he couldn't help it. When he got there, Kakuzu was waiting with him. Deidara tossed the body down, only to see disgusting threads snake from Kakuzu's sleeves to grab it. He picked up the body and slung it over his should with ease. Sometimes, the man frightened him. At least his own strange qualities were from a kekkei genkai.

"Your mission is complete. You may leave. I will tell you when you have a new mission."

"And what about Ami-san? Yeah..." He wanted to know what was going to be the fate of his female partner.

"What about her? She was captured, and now we have her being brought back."

"She may di-" Deidara attempted to start, but Pein cut him off.

"That should only be a mild concern. She is an ally, nothing more." Pein looked at him calmly. It was obvious that Deidara felt she was more than an ally. How much more Pein couldn't tell. This made him uneasy however. He didn't like the fact that Deidara seemed so attached. Attachments were things that could result in a shinobi making stupid mistakes. "Now, you are dismissed."

"I'm not going to leave until I know what's going to happen to her." Deidara's voice raised slightly. He attempted not to glare angrily at Pein, but he obviously failed, as he saw his leader's face grow angry as well.

Kakuzu, who had been watching in interest, decided that it was his time to leave. He didn't particularly care for either Deidara or Ami. In fact, he wouldn't even care if he killed them. But then again, that was how he was. Moments after Kakuzu left, Pein began to speak again. The growing aggravation was obvious in his voice.

"You will listen to me, or I will destroy you myself. You will not walk into my office to disrespect and disobey me."

Deidara knew he was merely inches away from getting himself killed. He looked down, forcing himself not to say anything to offend him again. "Please, can you tell me anything? Yeah.."

His leader paused, obviously debating. Deidara had calmed enough to know his place. He let out a barely audible sigh. "From what I already know from reports, she'll live. The poison itself isn't deadly. It wears off over a time. That was also assumed when it was discovered that there was no antidote. While it's in her system however, she will continue to hallucinate. Particularly images that will harm her mental status. They can be anything. The poison was designed to 'break' prisoners. If left alone, I would assume it would leave her system on its own. Unfortunately, we have no estimate on how long that would take. As you know, we are now making an antidote. Perhaps the effects will wear off before the antidote it ready. Nothing is sure." He looked at Deidara, telling him that he was done talking.

Deidara looked at him, somewhat relieved, but clearly still worried. "She'll live?"

"She may be unstable for a while, but yes, she's going to live."

Deidara nodded. "Thank you, Leader-sama."

Pein sighed. "You're welcome. Now, would you so kindly leave?" He wasn't as angry as before, but it was obvious that he still wasn't all too pleased with him.

Deidara nodded, turning and leaving. He wanted to go see Sasori, but he was sure the redhead would lose his patience from another intrusion. Not that he was all that patient to begin with. He walked to his room glumly, not even taking notice to the hyper Tobi when he ran up to him and hugged him. He just shrugged him off before walking inside. He locked the door behind him. Not that it really made a difference. They were all S-ranked criminals. A simple wooden door wouldn't stop another from entering. Only Pein effectively sealed off his room through jutsu. Not that it mattered. No one would try to enter his room without permission anyway.

Deidara took of the akatsuki cloak and tossed it to the side. He dropped to his bed, not even bothering to get cleaned up first. He had no will at the time. Rolling onto his side, he forced himself to fall asleep.

**Pein**

Pein watched Deidara go, not commenting anymore on Deidara's obvious attitude. Deidara had clearly let himself develop feelings for the new member. While sweet, it was problematic. He wasn't sure what to do about the situation.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a blue haired female, who appeared beside him in a swirl of paper. "I have delivered the message you asked to the Amegakure Tavern and have a response. The owner has agreed to pay the money he owes. He plans on sending it through a messenger."

Pein nodded before speaking again. "I wish for you to return to me soon. I prefer you with my original body."

"As you wish, Nagato-kun. I will do so as soon as time allows." She had a few more tasks to complete.

"Thank you, Konan." He didn't use an honorific. He hardly ever did. When he spoke though, his voice seemed emotionless.

She looked at him knowingly. "Something is bothering you."

He glanced at her for a moment, before resting his elbows on the table and entwining his fingers together. He leaned his chin up against them. "It seems Deidara-san has developed feelings for young Ami-san."

Konan looked at him seriously. "Truthfully, it doesn't surprise me. They seem to fit each other rather well."

"Perhaps they do. But you know what forming bonds can do to a shinobi." He looked at her with his oddly ringed eyes.

She knew what he meant. He was talking about Yahiko. It was strange however looking upon him. It was almost as if she was looking at her lost friend, but she knew that inside it was Nagato.

"Nagato-kun... You know that sometimes it cannot be helped. I'm sure that he had never meant to fall for her."

"It still happened."

"Just like we still happened. Despite all beliefs that peace can not exist between people, you and I have succeeded in keeping peace with one another."

Pein looked at her, not saying a word. His eyes closed as he continued to rest his head on his hands.

"Nagato-kun... Sometimes, things are better than they appear. Not often, but I'm sure that in this case, things will work out. Just like you and I have."

Pein looked at her, wanting to ignore what she was saying, but this was Konan. This was the one person who understood his pain. _Their pain. _Not just his own. She had suffered the loss of Yahiko as well. Perhaps her suffering was even greater. He knew that she felt not only pain, but guilt.

"In this world, a positive outcome for any situation is rare. Even if things work out for yourself, there is always another side to every story."

Konan knew that he was talking about the horrible war that destroyed their childhood life. Though it was seen by other nations a victorious and great outcome, they both saw the darker side. Because of the war, their families had been killed, and they had been left to suffer without them.

"I know, but if it doesn't work for them, they will only learn."

"Or they will die, but if you believe that I should leave them alone, I shall." He said, looking her in the eyes.

"I do.." She walked close to him, hugging him in an affectionate manner. He put up no resistance. After a moment, he returned her embrace. "For you I will then."

"How touching."

They both looked at the doorway of his office. 'Tobi' stood there, watching them. He pulled the mask from his face slightly, showing the visible sharingan eye. Pein nodded his head in acknowledgement at the man.

"Madara-sama."

Madara leaned back against one of the walls in the office. "I see you have noticed the same thing I have... Truely, I think they should be left to their will. For now at least."

Konan looked at him, trying not to look worried by his words. "For now?"

"Of course. Though your dear partner believes this is a bad idea, I see it as an opportunity."

She was about to ask how, when Pein spoke, only to respond to the unasked question anyway. "Should either cause trouble, you could use the other one to control them both."

Madara nodded slightly. "It really is simple."

"And cruel..." Konan commented softly. She was careful with her tone. Should Madara hear any sort of rebellion or protest, he would turn his anger onto her, without any remorse. She knew that she did not want to face the eternal sharingan.

"Not entirely, dear Konan_-chama_. Truly, it doesn't have to be. Only if they are disloyal. If they are, it will only benefit us, but will not hurt either of them. All we would need is to hold sway over one, and the other will follow their actions."

"In other words, we use one of them to convince the other to do what we want." Pein added softly.

Konan looked at the two men. She didn't like that Madara was going to try to control the pair, but she had no say in the matter, and as powerful as Pein was, Madara possessed unknown strength.

Madara chuckled, a rather unnerving laugh that differed completely than the way he laughed when he was disguised as the hyper Tobi. "Maybe I could even think of a way to assist in their relationship."

Pein's eyes fell upon him. "There's no guarantee that they will even become a couple."

"True, but I could always think of a way to bring them closer."

"Since when are you a matchmaker? I find it difficult that you are skilled in that area." Konan asked.

Madara laughed. "All they need are nudges in the right direction. If I can manage to keep all of you at some mild peace with each other, I believe that I can encourage them to become closer. I don't think it will take much. After seeing S_enpai's _reaction to her being poisoned, I would say that he's already fallen for her. The young Ami-san may be a bit more reluctant however. She seems to show a dislike of letting others too close. Perhaps I will think of a way to make her open up further to her lovesick partner."

"Forcing her to do what she doesn't want to may only hurt her more."

"I never said I was going to force her. Indeed she would be hurt more, which wouldn't help me in the slightest. Besides, I wouldn't want to be _cruel._" He smirked as he spoke the last word and Konan had to hold herself back from giving him an angry glare.

Madara straightened his body, returning the mask to fully cover his face. "I shall now take my leave." He turned toward the door for a moment, before turning back, speaking in the hyper, excited voice of Tobi. "Talk to you soon!"

Not bothering to wait for a response from the pair, he turned once more and walked from the office. Pein sighed as he left, his eyes turning to Konan, who looked as if she wanted to speak. She said nothing however.

She walked close to him like she had earlier, and he embraced her softly. "Do not fear... I assure you I will not let it get to a point where either of them shall be hurt."

Konan let a faint, sad smile cross her face. "Despite every attempt at 'peace' that is made, there is always a side that will feel pain."

He gazed into her eyes and in response, she looked back into his. The statement was something more likely to come from himself, rather than Konan. He took her hand, gently pulling her down onto his lap, where he wrapped his arms around her. After a moment, she returned the warm gesture.

They remained that way for a short time, before Konan sighed. "I have tasks that need to be completed before the day ends."

Pein had to allow a small smile. "Ame's 'Angel' must make her presence known."

Konan returned it to him, finding that she was able to summon at least a small smile. "Indeed she must, and the 'God' of Amegakure must continue to keep it in order."

Pein leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "When you are finished..."

"I shall return to your true form." She said, finishing his statement. "I shall see you soon, Nagato-kun.." She said softly, before vanishing in a small swirl of paper.

Pein watched her leave, before closing his eyes, allowing his mind to retreat from its thoughts.

**Kisame**

Once Deidara left, he and his partner began the journey back to base. They didn't move at full speed, but they travelled fast enough. At first, he debated carrying the motionless Ami over his shoulder, but figured it wasn't the best idea. If Pein had given the order to save her in the first place he was sure that his leader wouldn't appreciate him not giving her full care. He preferred to have freedom of movement as he ran, but decided that it was better that he carry her directly in his arms. After a short time, he came to realize that it was better that way.

Every so often, her body would jerk, usually accompanied by a loud sound of pain or anger. It was obvious she was suffering. He picked up his pace slightly. Despite the effort to remain indifferent, he found that he felt bad for her. By the sound of it, whatever her mind was showing her, was slowly tearing her apart.

Beside him, his partner remained as calm as ever. His face showed the same lack of emotion that it always did. He made no comment, instead, turning his eyes back to where he was going, his mind wondering if there would be an antidote by the time they returned.

**End**

**Please Read  
****I'm going to be re-writing and editing a lot of the chapters in this story.  
I'm also debating on changing Deidara's speech habit from 'yeah' to 'un' or 'hm'. Which do you guys like better, because I kinda find the 'yeah' a bit annoying. I'm leaning towards 'hm', but I want your opinions.  
Also, should I remove the random 'conversations' between me and the characters in the earlier chapters? Or, would you like me to even continue them. I'm unsure if they are liked or not.**

**Sorry if this chapter is kinda crap guys. Midterm week just passed, and stress has been kinda getting to me. **

**Please review and tell me what you think. **


	14. Breaking Down

**Here's the next chapter! At the end, there are meanings to a few of the words I used.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto.**

**Begin Flashback of Chapter fourteen**

_Ami dressed slowly. Nothing too fancy, but she didn't wear her normal shinobi attire. After making herself look more presentable, she walked out of her room to meet Sasuke. He smiled upon seeing her. _

_"Are you ready to go, Ami-chan?" He asked. _

_She looked at him. While she had gotten dressed, he had cleaned himself up. She grinned at him slightly. "Ready when you are, Pretty Boy."_

_"Must you call me that?"_

_"Yes. Just think of it as a term of endearment."_

_"Well, since I don't have a choice in the matter..."_

_Ami laughed slightly. "Of course you do. You can either choose to keep on hating it, or you can choose to accept it. Personally, the second might be better, but either way I'm going to keep calling Pretty Boy."_

_He smirked. "As long as you know that I'm not just good looks."_

_Ami grinned back at him. "Oh? I'm sorry, I didn't know." She said, laughing slightly when he frowned. "Calm down. You know I'm only joking." _

_"I'm aware." He said, a softer smile returning. "You know, you are rather beautiful when you laugh."_

_Ami's cheeks tinted red. "You think?"_

_"Yes."_

_She couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Did you know I've been told my laugh was frightening? It wasn't too long ago actually..."_

_Sasuke chuckled, knowing exactly who would be obnoxious enough to say it. "Was it by Naruto?"_

_Ami grinned, the blush beginning to fade. "How did you ever guess?" She asked sarcasticly. _

_"It must be because I'm just that good."_

_She laughed, enjoying herself by playing along. "How silly of me. How ever could I forget your amazing talent?" _

_"I forgive you. Then again, it might be my fault. You must have forgotten because you were dazzled." It was obvious that as he spoke he was trying not to start laughing. Surprisingly, he was doing well._

_"Of course. That must be it. Poor little me must have been overwhelmed." _

_That was it. Sasuke began to laugh. When it died down however, he looked at her sincerely. "If anyone has been overwhelmed, I think that it was me."_

_Ami's smile faded as she looked at him a bit more seriously. There was still a slight smile, but it was accompanied by a look of confusion. _

_He smiled, a caring look in his eyes. "You know, I honestly never expected to meet a kunoichi like you. You've amazed me and I've been blown away."_

_"How can you say these things? You haven't even known me that long." She looked at him, mumbling. She wasn't sure how to react to him anymore. Yes, they were now together, but how he was able to feel so strongly about her this quickly was something that even as she attempted to understand, she just couldn't seem to grasp it. When she had 'hated' him, it had been so much easier to know what to think. Now, she was clueless._

_Sasuke looked at her, gazing into her eyes. "I can tell you this, because I am telling you truthfully what I feel." He reached out, gently touching her face. "You are truly amazing, Ami-chan. Thank you."_

_Ami looked at him, even more confused. "Why are you thanking me?" _

_Sasuke's smile grew slightly. "I'm thanking you for saying yes. Being with you, Ami, actually having a chance to gain your love, is an honor. One that I am grateful for." He leaned forward, kissing her lips gently. After a moment, his hand took hers. His smile then became almost playful. "Come on. Let's go and try to have a _proper_ date. Are you ready to leave, or do you want to stay a bit longer?"_

_Ami's face turned a shade of red. At first, she couldn't speak, but slowly, her mind processed all of what Sasuke had just done. It only resulted in her blushing further. __Her mind was still attempting to make sense of everything, but she answered him anyway. _

_"No, it's alright. We can go now..." Ami's voice was soft. Though she normally sounded confident, her composure was absent. Instead, her voice sounded distracted and dazed. After a moment however, she pushed her thoughts slightly to the side so she could focus. She could process everything later. _

_"Where are we going?" She asked, wanting to change the subject. _

_Sasuke smiled and led them out of the house. "A small place in the center of the village. It's not fancy, but I'm sure that you have no problems with that. From what I've learned from you, unlike other kunoichi, you don't care about appearances."_

_A small smile crossed Ami's face as they walked, pulling her thoughts further away from the prior conversation. "You're right. Shocking isn't it?"_

_"It's a nice change. It's one of the qualities that makes you stand out." _

_She grinned slightly. "Glad you approve."_

_"Then I'm glad that you're glad."_

_"Well I'm glad that you do."_

_Sasuke chuckled. "Then I guess we're both happy with each-other. It seems like things might just work between us after all. You think, Ami-chan?"_

_"Heh, maybe they will, Sasuke-kun." _

_He smiled slightly after she spoke, and she took note that she had called him by his name. She actually enjoyed the smile though. It looked genuinely happy. Most of the Uchiha's smiles were usually mixed with some other emotion. Usually it was amusement. The smug look it resulted in always made him appear even more snobbish and haughty. Ami knew that he was arrogant, but the look made him appear even more than he was. Either way, she made a mental note to call him by his name a little bit more often. She still wasn't going to give up calling him Pretty Boy though. She knew that if she stopped calling him that, he wouldn't react the same when she _did_ call him by his real name. She smiled back at him._

_"Who knows?" She said, before shrugging, almost nonchalantly. "They just might." She spared him a smile as they continued to walk, before turning her attention back to where he was leading her. _

_They passed shops and people occupying themselves with various tasks. _

'The daily life of Konoha.' _Nothing really changed for them. It was the same thing over and over again. Her eyes moved to look back at Sasuke, when she realized he was no longer in front of her. Instead, he had stopped. _

_"We're here." He said, obviously amused that she hadn't been paying attention. _

_She looked the place over. It looked like it was owned by a family. Above the door, was a sign that read _'Kimura's Kappouten' _in large letters. _

_"Are you going to join me?" Sasuke asked with a slight grin, walking toward the door. His tone was slightly teasing._

_Ami managed to summon a playful dirty look. "Nah... I think I'd prefer to stay out here where you aren't." She laughed slightly before following._

_A man inside greeted them with a smile. Ami had seen him a few times in the village, but didn't know him personally. _

_"Welcome to Kimura's. Would you like me to find a table for you?" _

_Ami was going to tell the man yes, but Sasuke spoke first. "No thanks. Would you mind if we found our own. I promise we won't cause any trouble."_

_The man smiled again, deciding to let them. If they were paying customers, he figured there was no reason to turn them down."As long as you aren't causing trouble, go ahead."_

_Sasuke nodded, walking inside. There were people there, but there wasn't really that many. Sasuke stayed away from them. Instead, he walked to an isolated section that was toward the corner. He sat in the booth, and Ami took the seat across from him. She gave him a slightly questioning look, to which he then explained himself._

_"I didn't feel like listening to anyone else but you. It's noisy over there."_

_She knew his reasoning was valid. There weren't many people, but where they were, it was rather loud. __Ami held back a smile, deciding to play with him a bit. She changed her expression to one that looked like she was hurt and angry._

_"Are you sure it isn't just that you don't want to be seen with me?"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when she smiled and laughed softly. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. I'm only joking. Actually, I kind of like sitting back here. I think it's too loud over there too."_

_Sasuke frowned slightly. "That's a bit cruel."_

_Ami grinned slightly. "No, cruel would have been for me to throw a fit and walk out."_

_Sasuke couldn't help but smile. "I guess you're right." Then, he frowned. "You wouldn't actually do that, would you?"_

_Ami rolled her eyes slightly. "Not unless you did something to genuinely piss me off. It isn't likely though. I don't make a point of letting others know when I have problems. If anything, I would just walk out, then throw a fit and destroy something on the training grounds."_

_He raised an eyebrow, looking what seemed like amused. "That doesn't exactly sound healthy."_

_She had to grin. "Well, it's probably better than taking it out on a person."_

_Sasuke chuckled. "True." __He picked up a menu that was in front of him, scanning it slowly. She watched for a moment before doing the same. They had things that she liked, but most of them were things that she had often anyway. She looked for something more uncommon. Eventually, she settled for a specially seasoned pasta. It was created by the restaurant, so she knew that she had never ate it before. _

_It was then that their waitress arrived. She was a young female with brown hair. She appeared to be about their age, maybe a year younger. She smiled at them pleasantly. "Hello, my name is Mya and I will be your waitress for your time here. Would you like to decide your order now or should I come back?"_

_Ami returned the smile. "I would like the Kimura Pasuta." _

_The waitress scribbled it down, before looking at Sasuke. Her eyes seemed to scan him, but she didn't say anything. Ami wasn't sure if the girl recognized Sasuke or not, but she knew that Mya was checking him out. He had to stop herself from laughing at the poor girl. The shinobi that all of the girls liked was now taken by the one girl that hadn't liked him. Now that she really thought about it, it was extremely amusing._

_Sasuke placed the menu down. "I would like the same, but I would like Katsuobushi on top of it." _

_She made another note. __"Drinks?" She looked back at Ami._

_"The sweet tea."_

_Her eyes moved again._

_"Water."_

_"Anything else?"_

_"No thanks, we're good." Ami said with a smile. _

_Mya nodded, smiling yet again. "Alright, I'll get your drinks, and your food will be out soon." After speaking, she left them alone. _

_Once she was out of hearing range, Ami began to crack up slightly, laughing, causing __Sasuke to stare at her. She explained herself. "Didn't you see her eyeing you up? You would have to oblivious if you actually missed it."_

_"Oh, that. I noticed that, but I just didn't pay attention to it."_

_Ami snickered, teasing. "I'm sure that you're just used to ignoring them."_

_Sasuke smiled, looking into her eyes. "No, normally, I would have at least showed her I wasn't interested. This time though I was preoccupied by the beautiful woman in front of me."_

_Ami blushed, absolutely hating that he had that type of effect on her. She hid the blush by turning her head to check if the waitress was coming back. Her hair covered the still visible side of her face. _

_A small smirk formed on Sasuke's face, but when Ami turned back to him, it was already gone. Instead, there was a much warmer smile. Ami couldn't help but return it. _

_They began to talk about nonsense; random missions, people in Konoha, and even a little bit about some of Konoha's issues. Mya brought them their drinks, and their conversation continued. Eventually, their food was brought out as well. It was delicious. Soon, Ami found herself smiling and laughing as they spoke. Though she normally didn't let herself relax enough to sit and talk comfortably, she found that she was really enjoying herself with the Uchiha that she had once disliked. Once they had both finished, their waitress returned with a desert menu. Sasuke gave his menu back, saying something about 'Not being a fan of sugary food.' _

_Ami laughed before handing hers back as well. "I'm pretty much full, thanks." _

_Mya nodded, taking menu's back. "Alright, I'll come back with your bill." _

_Ami reached into her pocket, about to pull out some money, but she felt a hand gently being placed on her arm. It was Sasuke's. "I'm paying." He said simply._

_She raised an eyebrow at him, "I can pay. At least some of it."_

_He didn't take his hand away. "I'm paying." He repeated. _

_Ami frowned slightly. She knew that him paying was a caring gesture, but it made her feel like she couldn't take care of things herself. "At least let me pay a little?" She asked, looking him in the eyes._

_After a few moments, he pulled his hand away, smiling at her. "Alright, fine. You can pay the tip."_

_She smiled, trying to stop herself from laughing. "Alright, I'll tip the girl who was checking out my boyfriend."_

_"Jealous?"_

_Her heart skipped, but she managed not to get flustered. "As if, Pretty Boy. I'm only joking." She said, laughing quietly._

_"Oh, I'm sure." He said, teasing._

_"Oh shut it, Pretty Boy."_

_He laughed, looking away from her to see that Mya was returning. She placed the bill on the table, and Sasuke picked it up. He read it, before handing it and the money back to their waitress._

_Mya smiled at them. "I hope you enjoyed your time at Kimura's Kappouten. Please come back soon." She said, seeming to be talking to Sasuke more than Ami._

_Sasuke nodded. "We did, thank you." He stood, and Ami followed suit, placing the tip on the table. _

_"Yes, thank you." She said, before following Sasuke, who was already on his way out. She caught up, like earlier trying not to laugh. "If men continuously checked me out the way girls did to you, I think I would go insane."_

_Sasuke smirked slightly. "That's impossible."_

_Ami looked at him curiously, her smile fading slightly. "How is it impossible? Am I just not as good looking as the amazing Uchiha?"_

_Sasuke grinned, looking at her. "No, I think you're even better looking."_

_"Then, why not?" She asked, growing slightly confused._

_"It's impossible, because men know that you'll kick their asses if they're caught checking you out." _

_Ami burst out laughing. "Are you kidding?! That still doesn't keep all of them away."_

_"It stops some of them at least."_

_"True, but some people just don't give up." She said, still laughing._

_"I didn't give up." Sasuke said, grinning._

_She laughed. "No, you didn't. I bet you're glad."_

_"I am." He said, looking at her warmly._

_Ami looked at him, returning the smile, but not speaking. Neither did he. There wasn't a need to. A silence fell upon them. Sometimes, a silence was awkward, but Ami found this one to be peaceful. They simply walked next to each other. _

_After a long while, Sasuke finally spoke. "So, is there anything that we can do? Besides training of course."_

_Ami pondered, before smiling. "How about we go and sit above the Hokage Mountain? It's going to start getting dark soon, so maybe we could stay until then. What do you think?" They had been at Kimura's for so long that it was now getting late. _

_Sasuke nodded, his body now walking a bit closer to hers. "I think it would end the day nicely." _

_Her smile grew as they both changed directions, heading toward the large stone that watched over the village._

**End of Chapter Fourteen Flashback (Kisame)**

Kisame and Itachi picked up their pace. They were nearing the base. Ami still hadn't returned to normal. In fact, Kisame felt that they were getting worse.

As if to prove him right, Ami whimpered softly. He made no comment. There was nothing that he could do. When they finally arrived back at the base, they were met by an energetic Tobi.

"Leader-sama wants Ami-chan to be brought to his office. Sasori-san should be finished with Ami-chan's antidote soon."

Kisame nodded, looking at his partner. For some reason, Itachi seemed to be glaring slightly at the orange-masked shinobi. Instead of asking why, he nodded, then brought Ami to Pein's office, leaving the two behind.

**Sasori**

Sasori added a medicinal herb to the antidote that he was creating. It wasn't difficult. Pein had contacted him and told him that the poison was most likely created by Orochimaru. After learning this, it made Sasori's job far easier. He didn't care for his former partner, but Sasori and the snake-like man had worked on poisons together. Though they hadn't seen each other in a long while, he still had a spy working for him. This allowed Sasori to be familiar with Orochimaru's style. That, and there was still the fact that despite Orochimaru's skill in poison, Sasori's skills were still far greater. At least in that aspect.

He placed the poison on the special paper, then added a drop of the antidote. The poison was nullified. He placed the rest of it a syringe before exiting his room. He took his time walking to Pein's office to drop off the antidote. There was no reason to rush there. When he arrived, he knocked softly. It opened after a short moment. Sasori stepped inside, holding the syringe. Kisame stood to the side of the room, holding Ami carefully.

Sasori looked her over. She looked terrible. She was extremely pale, and looked like she was shaking slightly.

At Pein's command, Kisame set her down on the desk. She mumbled something that sounded like a plea of some sort, then whimpered. She did it again before falling silent.

Sasori walked over lifting up her sleeve. He injected the antidote into her shoulder, before capping the used syringe. "It should take effect immediately, but it will take longer for her to wake. If you want her to wake sooner, there is a series of medicine that we have in storage that will probably wake her. Will that be all?" The red head asked, looking at Pein.

Pein nodded. "Yes. You are dismissed."

Sasori bowed before making his exit. He slightly wondered if he should tell Deidara that Ami was back safely, but after a few moments, decided that Pein would tell him when he was ready. Not bothering to think about it anymore, he returned to his room.

**Kisame**

The shark-like ninja remaining in Pein's office looked at him. Pein was watching the unconscious girl, who had finally stopped shaking. After a moment, he formed a hand-seal. He was focusing on something. After a moment, Kisame found out what, when Tobi came bounding into the office, holding a small needle. Pein let his hands down, before holding out his hand. Tobi handed the needle to him. When Kisame looked at it, Pein explained.

"I'm waking her up." He said, before injecting her with the medicine. It didn't work immediately, but after a few moments, Ami began to stir.

**Pein**

Pein watched her begin to move. He was startled however, when the attempted to jump up. She was still dazed however, so she lost her balance. She would have fallen, but Kisame caught her and forced her to sit down in the chair next to Pein's desk. Her eyes were wide, and had a look of fear in them. Slowly though, Pein could see realization hit them. She began to calm down, but also began to look worried. Her eyes met Pein's for a moment, before darting down.

"What happened?" She asked quietly, obviously angry and ashamed that she had been captured.

Pein glanced at Kisame. A sign that it was time for him to leave. He nodded, walking out.

"You were poisoned. I sent Kisame and Itachi to help finish the mission. You were brought back and given an antidote." Pein said simply.

"Poison..." Ami repeated softly.

"Yes, poison. One that caused you to hallucinate. From what I can tell, the hallucinations were extremely unpleasant. You were making sounds and talking. We couldn't really tell what it was all about, only that you seemed to be afraid."

Ami's eyes widened. She stood again, this time slower to ensure she didn't lose her balance again. "I'm sorry, Leader-sama. I won't fail a mission again." She turned toward the door, as if about to flee his office, but Tobi was still standing there. She looked back at Pein, her eyes asking to be dismissed.

After a moment, he nodded. "You may go."

She pushed Tobi out of the way, darting from the room. Her footsteps faded as she ran down the hall. Dark laughter could be heard from behind Tobi's orange mask.

"Seems she's quite shaken."

Pein looked at Madara, expression blank. "She is. What do you recommend?"

Madara laughed again, pulling the mask slightly off as he looked back at the Akatsuki's 'leader.'

"Just leave her. She's too unstable to deal with right now. If she causes trouble, then you can do something." He smirked, fixing the mask back on his face. "In the meantime, just wait and see what happens." He said, before leaving Pein alone.

Not a minute after, Konan entered his office. The corner of his mouth lifted slight upon seeing her. She helped relieve some of the stress he was feeling. He smiled, embracing her.

**Ami**

Ami ran down the hall, her footsteps loud as they hit the ground. She continued to run, not wanting to think about what had happened. She didn't want to think about what the poison had made her see. There were too many horrible, painful memories to think of. Her memories and her fears tormented her. The poison no longer affected her, but she could still see them. Each one hurt her as if she was being beaten.

As she ran, she almost began to let tears slip down her face. She forced them away. Shinobi **_never_** cried. She would _not_let herself slip. In her focus however, she for a few moments forgot to watch where she was going. She ran straight into Kisame, who had been walking in the same direction she was running. She gasped, realizing her error.

**Kisame**

Kisame turned, looking at her. "Are you alright?" He asked, failing to seem casual about the question.

She nodded, answering quickly without looking him in the eyes. "Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kisame frowned. He knew that she was lying. It was impossible not to see through it. "You should try to calm down you know. They were only hallucinations. Maybe you should just try to get some rest. You'll feel better soon."

**Ami**

_"They were only hallucinations... ...You'll feel better soon."_ The words repeated in her head. 'Hallucinations.' But they weren't. They were memories too. Memories were real. They were painful.

**Kisame**

"Just shut up..." She mumbled, her arms wrapping around herself. "Leave me alone..."

Kisame watched her, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but her reaction was nothing like what he had intended.

"Don't touch me!" She snarled. He felt pain surge through his hand. Chakra flared out of her, literally burning his skin like fire. He quickly pulled his arm back in time to be bombarded with a wave of chakra. He fell backward, hitting into the wall. Ami then took off down the hall. A loud slam could be heard as Ami ran into her room.

Kisame was temporarily stunned, so he didn't make a movement. When he recovered however, he wasn't sure whether to follow her, or tell Pein what had just happened. Looking at his hand, he found that it was bleeding. It looked almost like a burn, but there hadn't been any fire. He decided not to risk agitating Ami any more than she already was. He turned to return the Pein's office.

**Deidara**

Deidara jerked from a restless sleep at the sound of the loud slam. He got up and left his room, walking into Kisame. "What the hell was that? Yeah..."

Kisame looked uncomfortable at the question. That automatically told Deidara something was wrong. "What happened?"

Kisame didn't answer for a moment, then sighed. "Ami's back, but I wouldn't see her right now."

Deidara's was about to smile, but then his expression grew angry. "Why not?"

"She isn't stable right now."

Deidara was about to get fully pissed, but then Kisame held up his hand. The wound on it looked bad. "Did she do that?"

Kisame nodded. "She's in her room right now. You can go see her, but it's at your own risk. Don't say that I didn't warn you. Now, I'm sorry, but I have some things to do." He began to walk back in the direction he had been going in before Deidara had stopped him.

**Kisame**

Kisame continued walking, slightly worried what Ami was going to do to the blond-haired shinobi. He pushed it from his mind, focusing only on where he was going. He arrived at Pein's office, knocking gently. "Leader-sama?"

He was aware a large amount of movement. "Don't come in." He heard Pein order loudly.

Kisame stayed where he was. After a period of more noise, the door cracked open. Pein stood there, obviously having been doing something that Kisame had interrupted. "Is this a bad time?" He asked.

"Give me a moment." Pein shut the door. After a few moments, it opened. To his surprise, Pein was only wearing pants. Behind the desk, Konan stood, wrapped in an Akatsuki cloak that was put on un-even.

Kisame was forced to hold back a snicker. "I guess I should make this quick so you can get back to what you were doing.

A faint blush formed on Konan's cheeks, while Pein glared. "Yes, please tell me what's so important.

**Deidara**

Quickly after Kisame left, Deidara sprinted down the hall in the opposite direction that the other male had went. He arrived at Ami's door in no time. He began to knock loudly. "Ami?! Are you in here?!"

Softly, he heard a female voice respond. "Go away..."

Deidara called out again. "Let me in!"

"Just leave me alone..."

Deidara knew that she wasn't going to open the door for him. Instead, he tried the handle. He was glad to find that it was unlocked. He entered slowly, looking around for his fellow member.

Ami was leaning up against the wall, sitting on the ground. Her arms were wrapped around her knees and her face was buried in them. She didn't look up, or speak.

Deidara approached her slowly, remembering the mark she had left on Kisame. "Ami... Tell me what's wrong." He knelt down beside her. Gently, he touched her arm.

She flinched as if he had hit her. A moment later, Deidara was forced to pull his hand away. Her skin was now painful for him to touch.

"Leave me alone..." She told him again, her voice sounding emotionless.

"Ami, look at me. I want to help, yeah..."

"Then get out."

"Ami, I-"

"Get out!" As she yelled at him, a wave of chakra sending him flying back. He hit the ground, eyes wide.

Deidara stared at her. She seemed to hug her knees tighter, and he was sure that her body was shaking. He wanted to try again, but the appearance of a shadow-like figure stopped him.

**Pein**

Pein looked at Ami, then Deidara. "Deidara, I want you to go back to your room, now."

Deidara was silent, but after a moment obeyed him, looking at Ami a final time before walking out. Pein then looked back at Ami.

"You have serious explaining to do. I want you in my office immediately to heal Kisame-san's hand."

Finally, Ami looked up, her expression blank. "Of course, Leader-sama..." She said quietly. "I will be there soon."

Pein watched her for a moment, before releasing the jutsu. Konan was glaring at him, while Tobi leaned against the wall. His mask was removed. Upon relaying the information that Kisame had told him to Madara, the man had decided to return.

"You can't do it." Konan said angrily. "Reading her mind will only make things worse. You know that."

"I didn't say that I was going to, Konan. I only said that I might. I don't want to, but if does something else, I won't have a choice in the matter. I can't have her lashing out against the members, no matter what the reason."

"It's only going to drive her to be worse."

Madara chuckled. "It could. I guess we could compare it to torturing a frightened animal. They will try to fight back."

Konan glared at him despite herself. He only smirked.

"Remember, Konan, that all humans are, are animals." He looked at Pein. "I have no opinion in this matter, except that I don't want this situation getting out of control. Do what needs to be done, or I will simply rid us of our problem. Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to leave. Perhaps this time there will be no need to come back?" He said, placing his mask back on. As he did, his voice raised slightly in pitch, back to the hyper, brain-less Tobi's. With that, he left.

Pein knew what Madara had meant when he said the words, 'get rid of.' He was sure that Konan knew as well. If the problem wasn't solved, Madara would just kill Ami, then Deidara since the blond would most likely try to rebel. He sighed, hoping it wouldn't come to that. He looked up at Konan, who was still glaring at him.

"I won't do anything unless I feel it's necessary. Just stay here until we're through with talking to her. With you here, she may be more willing to talk about what happened."

Konan didn't look at him for a little bit, but when she did, Pein knew she had caved. "Alright." She said softly, walking over to him and holding his hand in hers.

**Ami**

Slowly she walked down the hall. She felt empty. Not only had she hurt Kisame, but had almost done even worse to Deidara. Despite this, she didn't even feel bad about it. She couldn't feel anything at that point. At least, anything besides the pain. Inside of her chest, her heart felt like someone was grabbing it and squeezing. It was almost unbearable.

She turned a corner, stopping when she saw the face of Itachi Uchiha. She glared at him, her eyes full of hate. Normally, she wouldn't have done anything of the sort. He hadn't done anything, and it was common knowledge not to push the Uchiha.

He looked back at her, face expressionless. "Is there a reason why you are glaring at me?"

Ami went off. She had lost any self-control that she had. "Yes, because you're a damned bastard!" She snarled at him. "It's you're damned fault that your brother turned out to be such a disgusting monster!"

Itachi merely continued to look at her as she continued.

"YOU are the cause of all of my problems!! You caused his, and now I have to suffer! And you DARE ask me why I'm angry?!" She then did something extremely stupid. She swung at him.

That was the last bit of reality she saw. Moments later, she found herself looking into a pair of red eyes, her world fading away.

**End of Chapter Fourteen**

**Word Meanings- (Yes, they are extremely uncreative)  
'Kimura Kappouten'- ****Kimura is a common Japanese surname while Kappouten translates to restaurant.****  
Pasuta- pasta.  
****Katsuobushi- A kind of seasoning that is used to flavor many various Japanese dishes. It's made of skipjack tuna that is smoked, dried, and fermented.**

**Alright, sorry if this one seemed a bit rushed. I wanted to finish it before I left for Washington DC. I'll be returning home on Sunday, but I wanted to publish this before then. **

**Aaaannnyway.... Thankies to Simsen, Yuti-Chan and Arya May for reviewing. And to Arya, See? I told you I would put some Konan x Pein. :) And if you're still reading the story Simsen, I tried to reply to your review, but it wouldn't let me. (pretends to cry) x3**

**And as a final note, I'm thinking of finally writing what happened to Ami. I have an idea for an interesting format too. Hope you all enjoy it.**

**Please review. It makes me want to update even more for you guys. **


	15. The Truth of the Past

**This chapter is going to be a bit strange guys, but I think this format is the best way to show what happened in Ami's past. I'm going to be alternating between flashbacks and the present. It's also going to be really long.**

**Warning!!!  
****Be prepared guys. This chapter isn't going to be either pleasant, or happy. There is going to be some graphic content, but don't worry, it won't be too bad.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Begin Flashback of Chapter Fifteen**

_Ami and Sasuke calmly walked toward the large stone faces. There was no point in rushing. __Ami couldn't help but walk with a smile on her face. Their walk together was relaxing. Every so often, she would glance at him. Their eyes would meet for a moment, before the contact would break as he looked back ahead. Eventually, he looked back at her and kept the contact with her eyes._

_"What is it?" He asked, seeming to smile as well. _

_She looked back where she was walking, this time her breaking the eye contact instead of him. "This is just nice... I didn't really ever think I would be able to enjoy myself this much with you."_

_Sasuke smirked slightly, but Ami found that she actually enjoying the expression for once. _

_"It isn't all bad, is it?" _

_A small laugh escaped. "It isn't bad at all." She said as they began the ascent to the top of the hokage mountain. "In fact, I like it."_

_"I do too." He said, catching her eyes in his again. Slowly, he reached his hand out and touched hers. "Would it bother you?" He asked, obviously meaning if he held her hand._

_Ami smiled, allowing him to take hers within his. Had they been surrounded by other shinobi, she might have refused. She didn't like displaying affection in public, but here, they were alone. There was no one to interrupt them. They were at peace in a strange world that the Uchiha had created. He had created it, and pulled her in. Now she was trapped, but she found that she didn't mind anymore. _

_Looking ahead, she saw that they were nearing the top of the hokage mountain. Arriving, they walked above the stone faces and looked out over the village. It looked beautiful. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over her home. They sat next to each other, looking out over the village. She didn't pay attention to how much time was passing. There was no reason. Things were fine just as they are. As she looked out, she felt her hand gently being lifted. Looking at Sasuke, she saw him take her hand and bring it to his lips, kissing her hand gently. He looked into her eyes, taking his other hand and rubbing his fingertips against her face, caressing the pale skin, soon moving to caress the back of her head. His hand left hers, instead moving to her lower back, causing her to become lightheaded. Slowly, he leaned forward, urging her to do the same with his hands. She let herself be guided, both of their eyes closing. Her lips met his, making her heart skip. He moved his lips back after a minute, letting them breathe. She opened her eyes, looking into his until he broke the silence. _

_"Let's go back. It's dark now."_

_Ami smiled, and they headed back. Peacefully, they walked back to where Ami lived. They walked inside and Ami ran into the bathroom, changing into a comfortable set of pajamas. When she exited she found Sasuke waiting for her on her bed. He had also changed, and he was holding a cup of tea for her. She smiled and walked over to him, sitting down next to him. She took the tea, drinking it with a smile. "Thanks for today, I enjoyed it."_

_"I'm glad. I'm also glad you can finally get some rest though. You must be exhaused."_

_"A little, but I'm not ready to sleep just yet. I kinda want to talk for a bit."_

_He looked at her with a curious smile. "About what?"_

_"Not really sure. Anything you want to talk about?"_

_"Well, I've been meaning to ask you about something, but I didn't really want to pry."_

_"Pry into what?" She asked curiously._

_"Well, I was wondering why you lived alone. I know that your parents died, but I was wondering why no other relatives came to stay with you. That, and the reason your parents died is a mystery for everyone here in the village. You don't have to tell me anything. I'm just curious really. I want to know more about you."_

_She sighed softly, looking down for a moment. "__Well, I guess I could tell you. I think you've done enough to earn my trust. Besides," She said, a small grin forming. "You don't exactly strike me as the type to gossip, so I'm sure it will be fine."_

_He returned the smile. "The same goes for you, Ami-chan."_

_The smile on her face grew slightly for a moment, but faded as she cleared her mind to tell the story. "Well, you must know that my family wasn't born here." _

_Sasuke nodded. "That much everyone knows."_

_"Well, what people don't know, is that my family didn't come from a small, harmless village where people think they did. Though the village they came from can be considered small, it was far from harmless. It was originally created by rogue shinobi, and made into a sort of sanctuary. To gain access though, you had to swear allegiance to the village. My mother and father were two of the higher-ups in the village. My mother was technically partners with the leader of the village, while my father was in charge of ensuring the village was defended. They became extremely close, so they began to have an affair. There was an issue though. A problem occurred when my mother became pregnant."_

_"But, you were born after your parents had been here for a few years."_

_Ami nodded. "Yeah, I was. The village found out about the pregnancy. So did the leader. By that time though, my mother was far into the pregnancy. I think she was nearly due. She tried to play it off like it was the leader's child, but he knew that it wasn't his though. He waited to do anything though. In fact, he didn't even get angry at her. Eventually, they began to believe that nothing would come of it. When the baby was born, they found out they were wrong. The child was a boy, and was born perfectly healthy. Right after it was born though, the leader took it, and stabbed it directly through the heart with a kunai. It didn't stand a chance. My mother and father were thrown in a makeshift jail, along with the corpse of the dead baby."_

_"That's horrible."_

_"It was... After that, they made the decision to leave. They begged to talk to the leader. They wanted to strike a deal with him. Eventually, he agreed. He ended up letting them leave the village on one condition. They had to become spies." Ami looked down slightly. "They left and came here to Konoha. At first, they did their job. They would secretly pass information to their ex leader, but then, my mother found out that she was pregnant again. When I was born, she found that she couldn't act as a spy any longer. She just wanted to keep what was now her real home safe. My father did the same. He supported my mother, and the decision she had made. Eventually though, they found out that they weren't going to be able to just stop serving their old village. The leader found a way to contact them. I think I was about six or seven. He told them that if they didn't continue to send him information, that he would have someone else infiltrate Konaha, and murder them, and anyone else that they had become close to. They knew that their options were limited. After a while, they came to a decision. They left me with a 'temporary' baby-sitter, along with a letter addressed to me. To ensure that no one else could read it, they wrote the letter using the kekki genkai that I possess. Only by using my kekki genkai would I be able to read it. My chakra would solidify on the paper, forming the hidden message. My parents and I would sometimes do this to send funny messages to each other. I thought that this was going to be some sort of little game that my parents wanted to play, but what was in it was completely different. The message told me everything, but I couldn't do a thing about it. After reading the message, I knew they would never return. They had left the village, allowing them to be in harm's way. They had left, so that their enemy wouldn't discover my existence. By sacrificing themselves, I was able to live."_

_She had stopped looking at Sasuke, but now her eyes slowly wandered back to him. The memories of the past fading. "My family had a dark secret, one that no one else knows, but you and I."_

_Sasuke gently pulled him into his arms in a comforting gesture. She smiled slightly at this. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. My grieving ended a long time ago. My parent's death had meaning. It was a sacrifice to save me. I'm not going to take that lightly. This is why I try so hard to succeed. I wouldn't want to let them down."_

_"I understand. I'm sure they would be proud of you." _

_She smiled. "I'm sure they would have been." She said, letting herself rest against him. There was silence for only a short time, before he spoke._

_"I also want to talk to you about something important."_

_Ami looked up at him, pulling away so she could see his face clearly. "What's that?"_

_"Ami, I want to tell you why I didn't pursue my brother."_

**Present Time**

Ami was forced out of reality by the Mangekyo Sharingan. She found herself chained to a wall, almost like she had been when she had been captured. In front of her, Itachi Uchiha stood. He looked at her menacingly. "You've no right to judge what you do not know. You are foolish and weak, just like the one that you hate so greatly." She was given no time to respond. Instead, a scream broke free as the torture began.

**Pein**

Within Pein's office, a soft knocking was heard. The man looked up, glancing at Konan before speaking. "Enter."

The door opened, revealing Itachi Uchiha. Over his shoulder, was the limp body of Ami. Konan looked down, knowing what this probably meant for Ami. Itachi set her down calmly, looking at the leader of the Akatsuki.

"I am sorry to intrude, but it might be better to leave her here."

"What has been done to her?"

"The Mangekyo." Itachi said simply, looking at Pein. "I felt that it would be better than actually fighting with her while she was in her current state of mind."

Pein nodded, knowing clearly how she was acting. "Stay, Itachi-san. When she wakes, I will need your help. I will need Kakuzu-san as well."

**Ami**

It seemed like an eternity before the torture ended. Though in the back of her mind, she knew that nothing was happening, she couldn't break free of the illusion. Eventually, Itachi stopped, and she was left, stuck in the world of his creation. She couldn't speak, or even move. She could only let the time pass by. After a long while, she felt the world fade, as if she was falling asleep. Then, everything was gone. She had slipped into normal unconsciousness. When her eyes opened next, she felt herself surrounded.

She was in Pein's office. Pein was standing behind his desk, looking at Ami sternly. Next to him, was Konan, looking at her sadly. To her left, was the strange looking shinobi Kakuzu, and to her right, was Itachi. She wanted to lash out at him, but she suddenly felt odd threads wrap around her form. Kakuzu. She attempted to destroy them with chakra, but found that they remained intact. She looked back at Pein, who spoke.

"You have crossed the line. You are attacking the members, which I can't allow. I am ordering you to tell us what is wrong with you. You are to tell us what happened between you and Itachi's brother."

Ami glared at him angrily, the mention of Sasuke setting her off. She said nothing though. There was no way that she would tell them. She didn't care what happened.

**The Past**

_Ami stared into Sasuke's eyes. "I thought that was a personal issue."_

_Sasuke nodded. "It is, which is why only you will know." _

_"Why tell me?" Ami asked softly, looking into his eyes. _

_He looked back into hers. "Because I want you to know."_

_She nodded, wanting him to continue. "I still haven't given up on revenge. My brother destroyed my family. I will never let him get away with that, but that isn't my only goal in life." He said quietly. "My other is to revive clan. I didn't want to go after my brother, because if I was killed, there would be no one left to revive my clan. I came back here so I could find someone that would take that step with me." The words reverberated through Ami's mind as Sasuke continued. "You are the most powerful kunoichi in this village. With you, I could revive my clan."_

**The Present**

"I'm not telling you." Ami said, glaring at the man before her. To her surprise though, his expression didn't change.

"I'm sorry. You don't have a choice in the matter. Either you will tell us, or we are going to pry the memories from you."

Ami's eyes widened, darting to each person in the room. "You can't do that." She said, struggling against Kakuzu's powerful bonds. Her eyes landed on Konan, who seemed to not like the idea at all.

"I'm sorry, Ami-chan. This has been taken out of my hands."

Ami struggled, not wanting to say a word, but there was nothing she could do.

Pein looked at Itachi, and he took a few steps forward, forming a hand-seal. Pein stood, preforming the same one. They then spoke at the same time. "Past Reflections Jutsu."

Ami wanted to fight it, to stop what they were doing, but there was nothing she could do. Moments after they spoke, the current world slipped away, replaced by her past memories.

**The Past**

_Ami stared at him for a moment, before her expression hardened into a glare. For a short moment, she couldn't believe what she had been told, but it quickly sunk in. "You've made a mistake then, Uchiha. I'm not a baby producing machine. If that's all you wanted, then you can find yourself another girl." She got up to leave, but found herself being pulled back down. _

_"Don't walk away from me, Ami. That's the last thing I want. I want you to help me. There isn't anything wrong with that." _

_"So this was all just to get someone to bare your damned children?"_

_"It isn't if you don't think about it that way. I want someone to start a family with. That's a wonderful thing, Ami. That's what our village is about. Isn't it, Ami-chan? Caring for family? Isn't that what your parents did?" He looked at her, his expression almost sad, but she knew better. She knew that it was a mask._

_"Don't sugar coat it, and don't you _dare_talk about my parents." She spat at him angrily, him trying to use her parents to convince her only pissing her off further. "Filthy bastard. You don't care about me, and you wouldn't care about your family. You just don't want your 'precious' bloodline to end. I couldn't care less if the sharingan vanished. Get the hell off of me." Ami attempted to pull her arm free, but he held on tighter, hurting her arm. "Let go of me dammit."_

_"I'm sorry, Ami, but I've already made my choice. You are going to help me revive my clan." He stood, his expression growing emotionless. "Whether you want to or not."_

_"Like hell!" She attempted to strike out with chakra, but felt her heart sink with dread when it wouldn't work. She looked into his eyes, trying not to let the fear show. "What the hell did you do to me?"_

_Now he showed some emotion. The same Uchiha smirk that always pissed her off. This time however, there was a strange, almost sick aspect to it that reflected his current sadistic state of mind._

_"Chakra suppressants work wonders. I think that the poison I used to weaken you worked too."_

_"Poison?"_

_"One that was created by Orochimaru... One that was designed to leave the system too quickly to be detected, but strong enough to cause the victim to feel dizziness or pain." _

_Realization his Ami quickly. "You've been setting this all up from the beginning."_

_"Of course..."_

_Ami struggled furiously to get away from him. "You're not going to get away with it. As soon as Lady Tsunade finds out you'll be executed." _

_Her fear only grew when his smirk didn't fade. "No one is going to tell her Ami. Especially not you. Not when I could tell the entire village that you were born from traitors."_

_Ami's heart felt like it had stopped beating. She was trapped. "No, you can't. You can't tell." She looked up at him, her face betraying her emotions._

_"Don't worry, I won't. All you have to do is give in."_

_Ami felt like her entire world was crashing down. In a manner of speaking, it was. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't fight back because of the chakra suppressant, and even if she could, he knew her secret. He knew that she might not want to serve his purpose, so he had waited until he had information to blackmail er with. She was helpless, like her parents had been. She stopped trying to pull her arm away, her body falling limp. _

_"What is your decision, Ami? Do you give in?" He said, smirking, as if he already knew the answer._

_Ami stared down at the bed, not looking at him. She _couldn't_look at him. She didn't want to be near him. She just wanted to curl up in a dark corner and never come back out. She almost let a tear run down her face. Almost, but she fought against it, even in her pain, refusing to be weak._

_"Yes..." She whispered, her voice threatening to crack._

_Sasuke smirked, lifting her head and kissing her cheek. "Ami, I don't want to hurt you. You should just try and enjoy it. It really isn't all that bad. You'll be able to start a new family. You're own bloodline will be continued with mine." _

_Ami spit at him. "You've got what you wanted. Stop trying to make me feel better you bastard. I couldn't care less if your bloodline died out." She glared at him, her eyes filled with hate. "Your brother should have killed you with the rest of your disgusting family."_

_Ami didn't see Sasuke's hand coming until it hit her in the face. Her lip gashed open, dripping a few drops of her blood onto the bedsheets. _

_"Little bitch." He grabbed her shirt roughly, ripping it off. "Fine. You want me to stop being nice?" He ripped off the bottoms, leaving her only in a bra and underwear. "I'll be happy to comply." He grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "I gave you a chance, it's just too bad you're too much of a bitch to have taken it._

_She struggled uselessly to get her head free, hating him even more. "Go to hell, Bastard..."_

_Sasuke smirked, ripping the rest of her clothes off. "Fine, but you're going with me, Ami." _

_She couldn't struggle any more. He pulled out a chakra infused rope, and used it to tie her down. Before she knew it, he was on top of her, hand on her throat. "I don't want to hear a sound out of you." He told her before letting go. All she could do now, was close her eyes and try to block him out. _

_Every second seemed like and hour, as her body was used by the person who she had thought she could actually trust. But now, her 'innocence' was gone. _

_When he was finished with her, he untied her, leaving her to miserably curl up on her bed. She wouldn't look at her tormentor. She wouldn't even move. She just had to try and figure a way to get her out of the situation. Even after having lost a battle against the Uchiha, she would NOT lose the war. With that thought in mind, she let herself fall asleep._

**_The Next Day_**

_She woke early that morning, hoping to get a moment's peace, but she found that her tormentor was still there, there to remind her that the night before wasn't just a bad dream. He was sitting on the side of her bed, having been watching her sleep. Beside him, was a plate of breakfast, on the side, a pill._

_"Good morning, Ami." He said softly, the aggression from the night before seeming to be gone._

_She looked at him without any emotion. "I thought you were done being nice. Breakfast in bed doesn't exactly seem that cruel."_

_He stood, handing her the plate. "I'm giving you another chance, Ami. I would hate for you to have to suffer so much. After all, you are going to be the mother of my children." _

_She said nothing at first, simply taking the plate. Picking up the pill, she looked back at him. "What is this for?" She asked softly._

_He didn't answer for a moment, seeming to be debating whether or not to tell her. Finally, he seemed to give in. "A chakra suppressant. It's what's given to prisoner shinobi to weaken them."_

_"You've already succeeded. Why are you making me take them?" She asked, feeling helpless._

_"I need to make sure you won't do anything extreme. Taking away your chakra will allow me to do that. __If you don't agree to take it, your secret will be revealed."_

_Ami had to stop herself from glaring at him. It wasn't bad enough that he was blackmailing her, he was taking away her shinobi life. Gritting her teeth for a moment, she opened her mouth and took the pill. Sasuke smirked. "See? Isn't it easier when you just give in?"_

_Ami didn't answer. Instead, she simply ate the breakfast he brought. She had thought it was impossible to hate the man anymore, but now, she found that she could. She could, and she did._

_The next few days felt like an eternity. Each day, she woke, being given the same chakra suppressant, and each night, her body was used by the one she hated. The only change was after the first night, he no longer tied her up. Ami could only be grateful for the fact that she knew that she couldn't become pregnant. At least for a little while anyway. The timing wasn't right. She knew that it wouldn't be long though until the timing _was_ right. Then, she would only suffer more. _

_She woke one morning to Sasuke standing by her bed. His hand was on her stomach. She slapped it away angrily. "It's bad enough that you force yourself upon me at night. Can't you leave me alone during the day?" She hissed at him._

_He grabbed her wrist, causing her to wince painfully. "Don't. Hit me. Ever again." He glared at her, his Sharingan blazing. _

_She looked away, staring at the bed. She knew there would be trouble if she didn't apologize. "Sorry." She muttered. _

_Sasuke glared at her for a minute, then threw her wrist away from his body, leaving the room. She was sure it was to calm himself down. Looking up, she saw that her breakfast was still on the table next to her bed. As was the chakra suppressant. Quickly seeing her opportunity, she grabbed the pill, hiding it under her pillow just as he walked back in. She quickly brought the glass of water with her breakfast up to her lips, as if she was washing down the pill. He said nothing to her. _

_She felt like letting out a small cheer, but instead, only began to eat. Even though it was a victory, it was still only a small one. She couldn't fully celebrate just yet. After breakfast, her day went by like it had the past few days. Only this time, her chakra slowly began to come back. She masked it however, knowing that if the Uchiha sensed it, she would be forced to take the suppressant, or even worse, he might tell her family secret. At the end of the day, she had gained back a decent amount. Not enough though. She had to find a way to not take the pill again tomorrow. That night went the same as the prior nights. The only difference was the slight bit of hope she felt. That made it only a little bit easier to stand._

_The next morning, she woke with Sasuke by her bed as usual, and as usual, he had breakfast for her. She took it, eating slowly. About half way, she picked up the pill and placed it in her mouth. Taking a sip of water, she swallowed, before eating some more. When she was done, she handed him the empty plate, not speaking. Instead, she rolled onto her side, resting. _

_Sasuke watched her for a moment, before walking out of the room. Grinning, she reached into her mouth and pulled out the pill. It was slightly dissolved, but only a little, so most of it hadn't gotten into her system. She placed it under her pillow with the other one, knowing that her chakra would most likely be fully back by that night. _

_She had to contain her excitement that day. Little by little, her chakra returned even more. She was dying to give use to it, and she would give her all. There was no room for failure, or her secret would be revealed to everyone. She would have to kill Sasuke. _

_That evening, just as the light was fading, the raven-haired bastard walked into her room. Walking over to her, he moved his hand to her shirt, obviously to remove it. However, her hand grabbed his wrist. Within a moment, a loud cracking sound was heard as she used her chakra to break it. Her other hand hit his arm near the shoulder, causing another loud crack. Finally, she swung her leg out, catching him in the stomach and kicking him across the room. _

_Instantly, his Sharingan actived. "Bitch. You're chances are gone. Now the entire village will know all about your little secret." He hissed, glaring at her in pain._

_Ami looked at him, a bitter smirk on her face. "Yeah, I am." A long blade of chakra formed in her hands. "But you're mistaken. The village won't know a thing, because there won't be anyone to tell them." She said, before charging at him. _

_He dodged, unable to defend properly with the broken arm and wrist. Instead, he let his arm hang uselessly. He swung his arm at her, before grabbing the katana on his back to slice at her. The battle had now begun. Even with one of his arms now useless, Sasuke was still far too powerful to be taken lightly. She had to be careful, or it would be her end. Her chakra had returned to it's normal state, but she knew she was still weaker than she should be. _

_"You think you can defeat me?" He slashed at her, forcing her to dodge. "You are weak." He said, emotionless. Ami blocked Sasuke's katana with her own chakra weapon. She pushed him away before jumping back, landing on her bed. She dodged another blow, which shredded apart her bed. Everything was moving quickly. Had someone been watching, and they blinked, it would have seemed like they missed the movement of the two._

_Ami fired shards of chakra at Sasuke, hitting everywhere around the room. A few hit their target however, causing the raven haired Uchiha to flinch in pain, though Ami was sure it hurt far more than he was letting on. _

_Moments later, Ami was forced to bring her chakra shield up as Sasuke slashed at her with his blade. He had infused it with his lightning element. Instead of panicking though, she took the strike as an opportunity. Her chakra surrounded the blade like puddy. Quickly working it's way up, it wrapped around the handle of the blade, moving towards Sasuke's arm. He let it go quickly. The chakra however, kept hold of the blade, then turned it on its master. Ami knew that Sasuke hadn't expected it. It flew forward, piercing the Uchiha's stomach will all of the force Ami could use. It went fully through his body, without him having an opportunity to stop it. He was not finished yet though. With an almost strangled grunt, he pulled the blade from himself, turning it back on Ami. Unfortunately, her attack had left her momentarily weak. He was suddenly in front of her. She expected him to slice her through. _

_Instead, she let out a cry of pain as his hand flew across her face, knocking her back and making her dizzy. She crashed into a table, breaking it. Even disoriented, something clicked in her mind. He wasn't going to kill her. He still needed her. _

_Every shinobi knew, that it was far easier to kill a target than to capture them alive. He needed to hold back. If he didn't, he would lose the one he wanted to bare his children. He couldn't let that happen. Ami knew now that she had an advantage. _

_She threw chakra at him, which he managed to dodge. She then stopped, masking her chakra so he couldn't feel it._

_He smirked, looking at her. "Out of chakra, Ami? I thought you were stronger than _that_..." He walked closer to her, eyeing her like she was some sort of candy, an object to be possessed. She knew, that to him, she was nothing. She meant nothing. She was just something that he could use. _

_He reached her, his still-working hand closing around her neck tightly, but not enough to kill her. She didn't resist, staying perfectly still as she looked up into his eyes, an expression of shame on her face from losing. "Nice try, Ami-_chan _but you're no match for me." He said, smirking. "Now, be a good little girl and heal me with whatever chakra you still have, and maybe I won't tell your little secret." _

_Ami moved slowly, reaching her hand forward towards his stomach, where the wound was. Slowly, it flickered green, healing chakra surrounding it. Sasuke watched it, making sure she was doing as she was told. This was her chance. Her free hand wrapped around a sharp piece of wood from the broken table. _

_Her next attack occurred in less than a second. She poured her chakra into her arm, using it to give extra strength and speed to her attack. There was no way for the Uchiha to dodge. The piece of wood impaled his chest, only a little bit to the right of his heart. Ami's chakra went with it, feeling the damage it made. It broke through his breastbone, completely shattering the sternum. It pierced his lungs, and even through part of the trachea. It did however, miss the spine. Something her now sadistic feelings were grateful for. He could feel all of it. She watched, as his grip on her throat lessened. He fell back, struggling to breathe. Blood was filling his lungs quickly. He would suffocate on his own blood within minutes. He would, if she left him alone. _

_She stood weakly, a sharp blade of chakra forming in her hand. Her face looked angry, but there was a sadistic look of triumph on it. "Now, you bastard, you'll get what you deserve..." She said, approaching him slowly._

**Present Time**

Pein looked at Itachi, who was seeing exactly the same thing as him. Ami remained stationary where she was on his desk. Pein spoke, not letting the jutsu end. "We're skipping ahead. We already know how that battle ended. We need to see what happened after." Itachi nodded, and they began to look further into Ami's memories.

**In The Past**

_Ami looked at the body of the fallen Uchiha, panting heavily. She could barely stand. What used to be her room was mostly destroyed. Everything she once knew. Sasuke's body was barely recognizable from all of the blood that covered it. A large amount of it was by the groin. She had destroyed the part of him that had tormented her during the night. A well deserved punishment for the Uchiha. He didn't suffer for much longer. Especially when her blade cut through his heart._

_She stared at the corpse only for a little bit longer, before she had to look away. She collapsed onto her knees, letting out an anguished scream. She was covered with cuts, some worse than others, only hurting even more as she shook. Her arms wrapped around herself as she closed her eyes, almost as a way to comfort the pain she felt. She didn't want to move. Even though Sasuke was gone, she still hurt._

_Slowly, she heard loud banging. She guessed it was coming from her door, but she didn't respond. She didn't even look when she heard movement inside of her own room. There was a loud gasp, and a panicked yell. "Ami-chan!" _

_Her eyes slowly rose. In front of her, were two shinobi wearing green outfits. Her head tilted back toward the ground, her face blank. She felt someone picking her up. She didn't even register which one of them it was. All she could feel, was herself being carried away. Her mind though, seemed to have had enough. It shut her down._

_It was a few hours before she woke again, late into the night. Looking up, she found herself in a familiar setting. She was in the hokage's office, sitting in a chair by Tsunade's desk. Next to her, stood Gai and Kakashi-sensei, a hand on each of her shoulders to prevent her from falling from the chair. Seeing her wake, they each slowly let go. _

_Now awake, her chakra flowed through her body quickly, trying to assess the damage to it. To her gratefulness, there was only a little. Most of the cuts and scrapes on her body were gone. She guessed that Tsunade had healed them. The woman in question was sitting at her desk, watching Ami. There was an almost motherly look of worry on the woman's face. _

_"Ami..." She stood, walking over to her. Ami stood in response, and felt Tsunade wrap her in a tight hug. "Are you alright?"_

_Ami didn't know how to answer. Instead, she simply asked the question that she needed to be sure of. "Is Sasuke alive..?"_

_Tsunade's face turned grim. "Gai and Lee were near your house when they heard the screaming. They found you and brought you here. For Sasuke they were too late. Sadly though, who ever attacked you both fled."_

_Ami nodded her head slowly in response, not knowing what to say. Tsunade and everyone else didn't know the truth. At least for now they didn't. The attention was diverted away from her though, when the door slammed open loudly, effectively causing her to jump away from it slightly in fear. The person she saw almost looked heartbreaking. It was Naruto. Tears streamed down his face as he looked at both Tsunade and Ami._

_"It isn't true! It can't be!" He sobbed, looking at them. Ami looked down, not wanting to see his pain. Tsunade however walked over and embraced the usually happy shinobi._

_"I'm sorry, Naruto... He's gone..." _

_Naruto's sobs grew louder, and Kakashi walked over to comfort him. Gai remained standing next to Ami, looking down at her slightly. _

_"I'm sure you did everything that you could." He said, an obvious attempt to comfort her. _

_She looked up in response, the first sign of emotion forming since she had arrived there. It was a bitter smile. "Yes, I did." _

_A moment later, the door opened, an angered, and saddened looking Shizune standing there. "Tsunade-sama... Sasuke Uchiha's body was examined."_

_The Hokage looked at her, waiting. "And?"_

_"We've discovered some information that you might not want to hear. Perhaps Naruto should leave."_

_Tsunade shook her head. "He's not going anywhere. Just tell me." Her voice sounded like she was already losing patience._

_"The wounds that killed Sasuke Uchiha weren't made by shinobi weapons. They were made by chakra. Though some of the injuries were, the fatal attack was administered by something made of pure chakra."_

_For Tsunade, it sunk in instantly, but for Naruto, it took a moment longer. As Tsunade let go of Naruto to stare at Ami, Gai, along with Kakashi were forced to grab the blond as he tried to attack Ami._

_"Ami, I want you to explain yourself this instant..." _

_Ami looked up at the Hokage, any emotion once again gone. "He deserved it."_

_Naruto broke free, charging at her. His fist collided with her face, sending her to the ground. She didn't even fight back. What was just a little more pain on the outside, compared to what was within. _

_"He cared about you!!!" Naruto snarled, tears still falling down his face. He grabbed her by the shirt, unable to control his emotions. "What, you just couldn't handle that?! I knew you didn't like him, but why?! He didn't do anything wrong to you!" He raised his hand, his normally blue eyes a shade of red, but Kakashi and Gai grabbed hold of him once more. _

_Ami almost stayed down, but after a few moments, stood. She looked at Naruto, seeming to be struggling with her emotions for a moment. "Yes, he did." She looked at Naruto, her expression finally hardening into a glare. "More than you know."_

_Naruto struggled to get free, but was dragged from the room by the two men. Shizune stood there for a few seconds, but at Tsunade's command finally followed. _

_Ami stared back at the ground, knowing that she would have to explain why she killed him. She looked back up at Tsunade, her expression growing blank yet again. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but I didn't kill him for nothing... He deserved it." She took a breath, then began._

_She told Tsunade his intentions, his anger and about his betrayel. She told her why she had gotten sick. She confessed, not even looking at Tsunade, about the rape. Everything was told, all except for the blackmail._

_When she was finished, she looked back up, finding Tsunade's face angry. The door to her office opened, and the same blond ninja that had hit her walked in. "You're lying."_

_Ami's heart sank slightly. Naruto had heard everything. She glared at him. "What the hell do you know?! You couldn't even stop him from going to Orochimaru!" _

_Naruto managed to stay where he was. "You're lying! Sasuke cared about you! He just got too close for you to handle! You couldn't deal with the fact that you felt something! That you weren't heartless!"_

_"Naruto!" Tsunade yelled, silencing him. Ami turned back, finding that Tsunade was glaring even more, and it was at her. "Ami, you have no proof that Sasuke Uchiha attacked you. Furthermore, had he actually attacked, there was nothing holding you back from telling me."_

'Yes, he was blackmailing me.'_She wanted to say, but she couldn't. Tsunade would have let it go until she found out what the blackmail was. She was trapped, yet again. She looked down, her body shaking slightly, before her head rose again, anger now in her eyes. "Tsunade, how could you trust Sasuke's actions, over mine?! He was a traitor!" She yelled, feeling herself begin to lose control._

_"Sasuke Uchiha returned home, making up for what he did. He even killed Orochimaru. The village trusts him."_

_Ami couldn't take it. "And what about me?! I've never done anything to harm the village!"_

_"You killed one. I'm sorry, Ami, but even if your story is true, you have no proof. Even if you did, you could have come to me. There's no other choice. Ami, you are to be arrested." _

_Ami's eyes widened as she took a step back. "No..." She mumbled, looking around to see that more shinobi had arrived. She knew that she couldn't fight them. They were her allies. With no other choice, she turned and fled through the window, knowing she had to leave Konoha. Even in death, Sasuke still had won. She had lost her freedom._

**Presant Time**

Ami felt herself being roughly pulled back into reality. She struggled from the invisible hands of her past, falling from Kakuzu's binds which still held her. She had to suppress a scream, wrapping her arms around herself as her body shook.

Konan, who had seen all that Itachi and Pein had, rushed forward and wrapped the girl in her own arms, glaring at Pein. He wouldn't look back at her. He had just made Ami re-live her pain.

"Ami, we are sorry that you have suffered..." Konan said, trying to comfort her. Like Konan and Nagato had, Ami had experienced Pain. She suffered the pain of losing those close to her, as well as betrayal.

Gently, Konan lifted Ami up, supporting her weight. Ami supported herself slightly as well, but only barely. Pein watched them, not saying a word. "I'm taking her to her room."

"No..."

Konan looked at the source of the soft voice. It was Ami. She had stopped moving, and she had become expressionless. She had formed a mask over her emotion, nearly impossible to see through.

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine..." She mumbled, trailing off. "I don't need any help." She pulled away slowly, staring at the ground. "Am I allowed to leave, Leader-sama?"

Pein couldn't speak for a moment or two, but then he managed to pull himself back together. "Yes, Ami-san."

Ami bowed slightly in response, looking almost broken. She turned, and walked from the room. Slowly, her body moved down the hallway, not looking at anyone, or anything. After a few moments though, she couldn't stand being silent any longer.

She broke, letting out a pained cry. She couldn't handle anything right now. She began to run, heading for her room. If anyone noticed her, she didn't care. She just wanted to be alone.

Barging through the door, she slammed it closed. She let out an agonized cry, falling onto her knees. Her chakra swarmed around her body, threatening to destroy her room, and anything in it.

Those memories, the painful memories she was forced to re-live, were the very memories she wanted to forget. She thought that in the Akatsuki, she could get away, but instead, she now had to suffer. She had to suffer with the fact that not only did the Leader know her secret, but so did Itachi, the brother of the very person who had caused all of her pain.

Her hand raised up, only for her to slam it against the floor, hard. A large crack formed from the impact, and she felt excrutiating pain flow through her hand, up to her wrist. Blood dripped down from the hand that was now probably broken, but she didn't care about that. All she could think of was the inner pain, rather than the physical.

She curled up on the floor into a little ball, her chakra dying down. She slipped in and out of unconsciousness, torn between the world of sleep, and the harsh reality. She couldn't decide which was more painful. The horrible nightmares, or waking up to know that things were just as horrible as they were in her dreams.

She didn't know how long she stayed there. She didn't even try to keep track of time. She simply lay there, almost in a trance. That is, until a soft knocking broke it. For what seemed the first time in an eternity, she moved, looking up towards the door.

"Ami-chan...?" She could hear Deidara ask softly. "Are you in here? I'm coming in, yeah.."

Slowly the door opened, revealing the blond-haired man, whose face looked filled with worry. It took him a few moments to find her, but his face grew even worse as he rushed over to her. "Ami-chan! Are you hurt?"

She didn't even acknowledge that he had spoken. She only curled up tighter. She would have stayed that way if Deidara hadn't pulled her up. He lifted her, placing her body carefully on the bed. "Please, talk to me Ami. Say something, yeah.."

"Something, yeah..." She whispered softly, finally looking up at him. Her face was mostly expression free, but Deidara could see the emotion beneath it. At the slightest shove in the wrong direction, Ami would break down yet again.

"Ami, what happened? You've been here since yesterday, yeah."

"Nothing happened."

Deidara looked her in the eyes. "You're lying, Ami-chan..." He pulled her into a gentle hug. "Please, tell me what happened. Why are you so upset?"

Ami didn't want to look back at him, but Deidara wouldn't look away. Finally, she caved, curling up in his arms. "Leader-sama and Itachi looked into my memories..."

Ami felt Deidara's hold on her tighten slightly, from what she was sure was anger, but it loosened after a few moments. "Ami, what did they see? Please, tell me. I promise, Ami, that I will never hurt you. You can trust me, yeah.."

Ami's body began to shiver, as tears ran down her cheeks, wetting Deidara's shirt. If he noticed though, he didn't seem to care. "I can't trust anymore. For the same reason that they saw. That they _forced_ me to see again."

"Ami-chan, please... I would never force you to tell me anything. I might be an S-ranked criminal, but I'm not heartless..."

"I wish I could be heartless." Ami mumbled softly.

Deidara heard it anyway. "Do you really feel that way, Ami-chan..?" He asked, continuing to hold her.

There was silence, but it was soon broken by her voice, which had grown even softer. "I wouldn't have to suffer..."

"But you wouldn't be able to be happy either. Things might be painful, but you have to take the chance, yeah..."

Ami's body tensed, thinking of Konoha. A look of anger began to form. "It isn't worth it."

"How do you know that if y-"

"Do you know what taking chances ever got me?!" Ami cut him off, pulling herself free from his arms to sit on the opposite side of the bed. She looked at him, her expression holding both pain, and rage. Deidara watched her, not saying a word.

"Well?! Of course you don't! All it ever did was destroy my life! I thought I could take chances! I _thought_that it would only make things better! Do you know what happened?! I got raped by a bastard that should have never been trusted in the first place! Yes, that's right, I was raped!" She yelled, responding to Deidara's almost shocked expression. "There! Are you fucking happy?! You wanted to know my damned secret, well there it is! And that isn't even the best part! No, I thought that I would be able to trust my friends, people who supposedly cared about me! And do you know what happened then?! After I took another chance?! I was the one who had done wrong! I was a liar, because they trusted a _traitor_ over me! I had never done a single thing wrong in my village, but I guess that means nothing..." Ami clenched her fists, now staring down at the bed. "Taking chances is pointless, and so is having a heart. They can only hurt you in the end..."

Deidara watched Ami, not knowing what to say, or do. Finally, he reached out, placing a hand on her arm. "Ami-chan, please don't think that way, yeah... "

Ami looked up at him, her face filled with misery. "Why not..? Why shouldn't I when all trusting people has gotten me is pain? Why should I trust anyone anymore, when everyone is only going to hurt me even more?"

"Ami, I won't hurt you. Ever. I swear that on my life, yeah..."

Her eyes met his, and as they did, tears slid down her cheeks. "How can I believe you, Deidara? After all that's happened?"

The blond haired man slid closer, pulling her back into his arms. She resisted at first, but then let him, the mental walls she had been creating again to protect herself, fading slightly.

"I know you've been hurt, Ami, and I know, that I really can't prove anything, yeah... All I can do, is ask that you take just one more chance. Please, Ami, give _me_ a chance..."

Ami looked up into his eyes, seeing an expression that she had only seen once before in her parents, as they looked at each other. When she was younger, she didn't know why they had looked at each other that way, but now she could understand it better. It was a loving expression, one that didn't hold a single feeling back. It was free from restraint, an expression of trust and devotion, that showed the person it was being given to that the giver of it would follow them anywhere. They would never give up. Ami knew that shinobi were skilled at masking their true emotions, but despite that, even though she didn't want to trust, she just couldn't believe that Deidara was faking it. She curled her body closer to his.

"Deidara..." She said his name softly, feeling her heart beat grow erratic. "How can you care so much..? Especially for me...? I'm broken.."

"Then I'll fix you, yeah..." He said, an almost goofy kind of smile forming. "I think it might work, yeah... Even if I _am_ probably better at blowing things up."

Ami found the corners of her lips rising, letting out a tiny laugh, knowing that he was definitely right on that one.

His smile grew and he held her tighter. "I think I like that sound, yeah... Maybe I can hear it more?"

"Maybe... I'll have to see about that.." She said quietly, slightly teasing him.

"Maybe..." He looked down at her, a serious, but caring look on his face. "So, will you give me a chance, Ami-chan?"

She looked into his eyes. His emotions weren't hidden, expressed clearly through them. He was opening himself to her, something that she wouldn't have expected from a person in the Akatsuki. He really did care about her. The walls around her mind began to fade further, letting him in.

"I don't know how it's going to turn out, but if it doesn't work out well, I don't know if I'll be able to try again..." She said, her voice weak.

"I'll try to make it work then, yeah. Who knows? Maybe you'll get tired of me and find someone else anyway."

She found a full smile forming on her lips. "I highly doubt that, Girly-man.."

"Don't tell me you're going to call me by that, are you?" He said, looking almost like a child as he frowned.

Ami laughed softly, finding that despite the pain she was still feeling, she was able to ignore it as she spoke to the man who was still holding her. "No," She said with a smile. "But it's always fun to tease.."

Deidara's frowned slowly turned into a smile as he looked at her, causing her to give him a curious look. "What are you smiling about?" She asked, her voice almost wary of him.

He grinned even more. "I told you earlier, yeah... I like that sound."

She felt the pain start to slip away, but she knew it wouldn't wouldn't fade completely. At least, not for a long while. "Well, maybe I will let you hear it more then. Only if you find a reason to make me of course."

"I'll make that my mission then. S-ranked, assigned above all others in importance, yeah..."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Has anyone ever told you how much of an extreme loser you are."

"No, at least none that didn't get blown up."

"So I'll be the first then."

"You're one of a kind." He said, looking at her affectionately. "I don't care what happened in the past. I'll make sure you have a better future, yeah... I'll do whatever it takes."

Ami couldn't help but be a smart ass. "Would you even agree with Sasori's view on art?"

Deidara grimaced. "Would I have to mean it?"

"Of course not."

"Then I would, even if it meant giving in to Danna, but I would still think art is a bang..."

Ami smiled, resting her head against his chest. "Deidara..?" She asked, closing her eyes.

"Yes, Ami-chan?"

"Can you please stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone..." Her voice grew softer. "I'm afraid the nightmares will come back..."

Deidara held her close, not letting her go. "I'll stay, don't worry, yeah..."

"Thank you, Deidara..." She mumbled, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. Though she had been sleeping on and off since the day before, it had been too restless to take any effect.

"You're welcome, Ami-chan... Sleep well, yeah..."

She nodded weakly against his chest, finally feeling herself slip away, hopefully this time, into a dream-less sleep.

**End of Chapter Fifteen**

**Soo..... What did you guys think? I know it was a lot to read, but I felt like it needed to be. I know that it was a really miserable chapter, but still...**

**Anyway, thank you to Yuti-chan, who was the only person who actually reviewed this chapter. If you guys are reading, please review, even if it is anonymous. I like to know if you guys like the story or not. Hopefully you guys will review more for this chapter, since it was so dramatic, but I can only hope. Suggestions are nice as well, but it's all up to you guys. **

**Hope to see you all in the next chapter.**


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